Final answer:
Alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, and then acetaldehyde is further converted to acetate by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase to reduce toxicity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The metabolic process that changes alcohol to the compound acetaldehyde is catalyzed by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. In the liver, alcohol dehydrogenase facilitates the oxidation of ethanol, converting it into acetaldehyde, a highly toxic substance for the liver and body's cells.
Subsequently, another enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) rapidly converts acetaldehyde into acetate, a non-toxic compound. During fermentation, yeast cells perform a similar conversion where pyruvic acid is decarboxylated by pyruvate decarboxylase to acetaldehyde, which is then reduced to ethanol by alcohol dehydrogenase.