The key difference between sugar assimilation and fermentation is that sugar assimilation is the process of storage of excess sugars in our cells for later use, whereas fermentation is the process of breakdown of sugars through an anaerobic process.
Sugar assimilation is a term used to describe the storage of excess glucose in the liver and muscle cells in the form of glycogen. Fermentation, on the other hand, is a biochemical process that takes place under anaerobic conditions.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Sugar Assimilation
3. What is Fermentation
4. Sugar Assimilation vs Fermentation in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Sugar Assimilation vs Fermentation
What is Sugar Assimilation?
Sugar assimilation is a term used to describe the storage of excess glucose in the liver and muscle cells in the form of glycogen. This storing occurs after the process of breakdown of complex carbohydrates to obtain glucose and its absorption. When we eat food containing carbohydrates, our body starts to digest the carbohydrates, starting from our mouth to the small intestine in the presence of different enzymes and digestive juices, which helps in the movement of the food through the digestive system. Here, our body breaks down the carbohydrate into glucose, a type of sugar from which carbohydrate is made.
Thereafter, glucose passes into the small intestine, but our body cells still cannot use it. Therefore, when glucose is in the small intestine, it is absorbed into the blood. Glucose in the blood signals our pancreas to secrete insulin, which is an enzyme that helps our cells to absorb glucose. The excess glucose that enters the cells tends to be stored/assimilated.
However, the way that our body assimilate sugar can vary depending on the type of food we eat. Both sugar and carbohydrate end up providing us with energy. For example, some foods we consume are rich in sugar. These foods digest quickly and reach the blood faster. As a response to that, our pancreas produces more insulin for sugar assimilation.
Figure 01: Glycogen Structure
Whenever we are running out of sugars in our blood (deficiency glucose), the stored glycogen in our cells tend to convert into glucose, and this conversion process is known as glycogenolysis.
What is Fermentation?
Fermentation is a biochemical process that takes place under anaerobic conditions. This process takes place in the absence of molecular oxygen. Most of the microbes, plants, and human muscle cells are capable of performing fermentation inside them. During his process, sugar molecules tend to convert into alcohols and acids. This chemical reaction has great usage in the industrial production of dairy products, bakery products and alcoholic beverages. There are two forms of fermentation as ethanol fermentation and lactic acid fermentation.
Ethanol fermentation is a biochemical process in which a conversion of sugars into cellular energy occurs. The sugar molecules that can undergo this process include glucose, fructose, and sucrose. During the production of cellular energy, this process produces ethanol and carbon dioxide as well. These are the byproducts of ethanol fermentation. Typically, this fermentation occurs in the presence of yeast and in the absence of oxygen gas. Therefore, we can name it an anaerobic biological process. Moreover, this process takes place in some fish species such as goldfish and provide these fish with energy when there is not enough oxygen.
Figure 02: Ethanol Fermentation Process
On the other hand, lactic acid fermentation is a biochemical process in which glucose or a similar sugar molecule is converted into cellular energy and metabolite lactate. Here, the sugar molecule can be either glucose or another six-carbon sugar molecule. Disaccharides such as sucrose can also be used. Lactate is the lactic acid in solution. Lactic acid fermentation is an anaerobic process that takes place in some bacteria and animal cells, including muscle cells. In the presence of oxygen in cells, the cell tends to bypass the fermentation process and perform cellular respiration. But there are some facultative anaerobic organisms that can perform both fermentation and respiration in the presence of oxygen gas.
What is the Difference Between Sugar Assimilation and Fermentation?
Sugar assimilation and fermentation describe the storing and breakdown processes of sugar inside our body. The key difference between sugar assimilation and fermentation is that sugar assimilation is the process of storage of excess sugars in our cells for later use, whereas fermentation is the process of breakdown of sugars through an anaerobic process.
Summary – Sugar Assimilation vs Fermentation
Sugar assimilation and fermentation describes the storing and breakdown processes of sugar inside our body. The key difference between sugar assimilation and fermentation is that sugar assimilation is the process of storage of excess sugars in our cells for later use, whereas fermentation is the process of breakdown of sugars through an anaerobic process.
Reference:
1. “Assimilation of Food in Human Beings.” Biology Discussion.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Glycogen structure” By Häggström, Mikael (2014). “Medical gallery of Mikael Häggström 2014” WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.008. ISSN 2002-4436. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Ethanol fermentation-1” By Davidcarmack – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia