Question

Breakdown of pyruvate takes place in ____________.

Answer 1

Glycolysis is the most frequent process for the catabolism of glucose in bacteria, eukaryotes, and most archaea; it provides energy, reduced electron carriers, and precursor molecules for cellular metabolism. Although glycolysis does not require oxygen, it can be combined with other metabolic processes that are either aerobic or anaerobic. It starts with a six-carbon glucose molecule and concludes with two molecules of pyruvate, a three-carbon sugar. After glycolysis, pyruvate can be further broken down to generate additional energy by aerobic or anaerobic respiration.

Complete answer:
Pyruvate can be broken down either in the presence of oxygen or absence of oxygen. The site of breakdown of pyruvate varies in either case.
When the pyruvate breakdown occurs anaerobically to produce acids and alcohol by fermentation it takes place in the cytoplasm.
In the presence of oxygen pyruvate undergoes aerobic breakdown in the mitochondria by entering the Krebs cycle.

Breakdown of Pyruvate takes place aerobically in the mitochondria and anaerobically in the cytoplasm.

Additional information:
Anaerobic breakdown of pyruvate is the part of anaerobic respiration and is found in bacteria. Anaerobic breakdown of pyruvate occurs in fermentative pathways of bacteria to yield acids or alcohols and release of Carbon dioxide.

Note:
Cellular respiration is a collection of metabolic events and processes that occur within organisms' cells to transform chemical energy from oxygen molecules or nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and then release waste products. Respiration involves catabolic processes, which break big molecules down into smaller ones, releasing energy due to weak high-energy interactions.