What is the end product of glycolysis?

The end product of glycolysis is 2 molecules of pyruvic acid. Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell, where glucose, a six-carbon sugar, is broken down in a series of ten enzymatic reactions.

During this process, one molecule of glucose is split and transformed into two molecules of pyruvate (also called pyruvic acid), each containing three carbons. This conversion is essential as it marks the transition from carbohydrate metabolism to other pathways such as the citric acid cycle, depending on the availability of oxygen.

While ATP is produced during glycolysis, the net yield is typically 2 ATP molecules (4 are produced, but 2 are consumed during the process), so it wouldn't be the end product. Acetyl CoA is a key intermediate that can be formed from pyruvate but is not the direct end product of glycolysis itself, as that occurs later in cellular respiration. The initial molecule of glucose is consumed and transformed, making it not an end product, but rather the starting substrate for glycolysis.