Anerobic respiration and homolactic fermentation

When a muscle lacks oxygen or requires a lot of energy in a short amount of time, will perform anerobic respiration rather than areobic respiration to produce its energy. This process involved glycolsis, in which ADP and NAD+, an oxidized electron carrier is converted to ATP, NADH (a reduced electron carrier) and pyruvate. The next step of anerobic respiration is called fermentation. In animal cells this is through lactic acid fermentation, but yeast and plants ethanol fermentation is used. In lactic acid fermentation pyruvate is catalyzed to lactate via lactate dehydrogenase. This process also oxidizes NADH to NAD+. This NAD+ may therefore be used for another step of glycolosis in order to produce ATP for the muscle to use. Unfrotunately this prcoess much less effecient than aerobic respiration which uses oxygen, and a lot less energy is produced. Lactic acid will also begin to build up in the cells.