Question

Some organisms can ferment glucose but not sucrose. How can you explain this knowing sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose? Why can’t the bacteria ferment the glucose present in the sucrose molecule if they are able to ferment glucose?

Answer 1

Organisms that can ferment glucose but not sucrose lack the enzymes needed to break down sucrose into glucose and fructose. Therefore, they cannot utilize the glucose present in the sucrose molecule for fermentation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Some organisms can ferment glucose but not sucrose because they lack the specific enzymes required to break down sucrose into glucose and fructose. While sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose, the bacteria that can ferment glucose may not have the enzymes necessary to separate the glucose and fructose molecules. Therefore, they are unable to utilize the glucose present in the sucrose molecule as a substrate for fermentation.