Which process is the decomposition of carbohydrates by microbes?

Which process is the decomposition of carbohydrates by microbes?

• A. Autolysis
• B. Fermentation
• C. Saccharolysis
• D. Lipolysis

Answer: (B)

Fermentation is the microbial breakdown of carbohydrates to generate energy in anaerobic conditions, producing byproducts such as acids, alcohols, and gases. This precisely describes the decomposition of carbohydrates by microbes. For example, yeast converting glucose to ethanol and CO2, or lactic acid bacteria producing lactic acid during fermentation. Autolysis is self-digestion of cells by their own enzymes and isn’t about carbohydrate breakdown. Lipolysis is fat breakdown by lipases, not sugars. Saccharolysis would mean sugar breakdown in general, but in microbiology the term most commonly used for microbial carbohydrate decomposition is fermentation. Thus fermentation is the best answer.

Fermentation is the microbial breakdown of carbohydrates to generate energy in anaerobic conditions, producing byproducts such as acids, alcohols, and gases. This precisely describes the decomposition of carbohydrates by microbes. For example, yeast converting glucose to ethanol and CO2, or lactic acid bacteria producing lactic acid during fermentation. Autolysis is self-digestion of cells by their own enzymes and isn’t about carbohydrate breakdown. Lipolysis is fat breakdown by lipases, not sugars. Saccharolysis would mean sugar breakdown in general, but in microbiology the term most commonly used for microbial carbohydrate decomposition is fermentation. Thus fermentation is the best answer.