Anaerobic respiration is a type of respiration in which foodstuffs (normally carbohydrates) are partly oxidized with the chemical energy released, and in the process there is no involvement of atmospheric oxygen. As the substrate is never totally oxidized the energy generated of this type of respiration is lesser than that generated during aerobic respiration. This occurs in some yeasts and bacteria and in the muscle tissue when oxygen is not present. This is also called as oxygen debt. The obligate anaerobes are the organisms which cannot use the atmospheric oxygen for respiration. Facilitative anaerobes are mostly aerobic but can respire anaerobically in the period of oxygen shortage. Alcoholic fermentation is a type of anaerobic respiration in which one of the products of the reaction is ethanol.
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