GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY - T.P. Pirog - 2004

14. TYPES OF FERMENTATION

14.8. FERMENTABLE AND NON-FERMENTABLE NATURAL COMPOUNDS

Most natural compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and/or nitrogen can undergo Fermentation under anaerobic conditions. Fermentable substrates include Polysaccharides, hexoses, pentoses, polyhydric alcohols, organic acids, Amino Acids (except aromatic ones), Purines, and Pyrimidines.

Saturated aliphatic and aromatic Hydrocarbons, Steroids, and carotenoids cannot be fermented. One of the reasons is that these compounds can only be oxidized in the presence of molecular oxygen via the action of oxygenases. Apparently, it is this stability that allows hydrocarbons to persist in petroleum deposits for such long periods.

A generalized pathway of the major fermentation types is shown in Fig. 14.9.

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Fig. 14.9. GENERALIZED SCHEME OF the main Types of fermentation



Last update: 12/08/2026

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