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Cellular Respiration is a biochemical process in which food materials present in cell are oxidised slowly in presence of enzymes with the release of ATP and small amount of Heat.

I am not able to relate this to the process of Fermentation(more specifically Lactic acid formation)

$$C_6H_{12}O_6 \rightarrow 2CH_3CHOHCOOH + 36kcal$$

The average oxidation number of C in $C_6H_{12}O_6$ is $0$ and the average oxidation number of C in $CH_3CHOHCOOH$ is $0$. So, C is not oxidised according to oxidation number concept. So, can we say that all types of cellular respiration involve oxidative breakdown of substrate?

S Das
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  • In lactate fermentation, there is no net oxidation or reduction: free energy is obtained from the "splitting of glucose" (glycolysis). But of course, there is an oxidation step (GAPdh that generates NADH) AND a reduction step (pyruvate reduction by LDH to 'regenerate' NAD(+)), where the 'carbon skeleton' that is oxidized in the GAPdh reaction is reduced in the LDH reaction (so do no net ox/red). – user338907 Jun 11 '21 at 08:45

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