Fate of pyruvate: aerobic and anaerobic
Cellular respiration overview · Biology
Study notes
Bakers use the anaerobic fate: yeast ferments pyruvate to ethanol and CO2 — the gas raises dough, the alcohol evaporates in the oven. Athletes meet the other anaerobic fate: during a sprint, muscle pyruvate becomes lactate, later carried to the liver and converted back to glucose (Cori cycle) once oxygen returns.