What process do yeast use to convert sugars into alcohol?

Yeast utilize fermentation as the process to convert sugars into alcohol. During fermentation, yeast cells metabolize sugars, breaking them down anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) to produce energy. This metabolic process results in the production of ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide as byproducts. This is crucial in various applications, including brewing and winemaking, where the goal is to generate alcoholic beverages.

In contrast, oxidation involves the process of a substance reacting with oxygen, leading to various chemical changes, but it does not specifically relate to the conversion of sugars into alcohol. Distillation, on the other hand, is a method used to separate alcohol from a fermentation mixture based on differences in boiling points, rather than the conversion process itself. Hydrolysis refers to the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water, which is also not the process directly involved in producing alcohol from sugars.