Question

The term zymosis was coined by
(A) Pasteur
(B) Cruickshank
(C) Koytchev
(D) Buchner

Answer 1

Hint: Microorganisms were discovered to be responsible for biochemical processes such as fermentation, which is caused by microscopic fungi, in the nineteenth century. This raised the question of whether these processes were manifestations of a unique life force that only occurred in living matter.

Complete answer:
Now let us look into the given options
Option (A) Pasteur: The word enzyme derives from the Greek word zymosis, which means fermentation. Louis Pasteur recognised the importance of enzymes in fermentation in 1860 and coined the term zymosis. He also believed that their catalytic activity was related to yeast cell structure and life. Hence, option (A) is correct.
Option (B) Cruickshank : Cruickshank developed the Trough battery, which was an advancement over Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile. Instead of being arranged vertically in a column, the plates were arranged horizontally in a trough. Hence, option (B) is incorrect.
Option (C) Koytchev: Kostytchev was a well-known Russian pathologist and microbiologist. He coined the term anaerobic respiration to describe a form of respiration that occurs without the use of oxygen.
Hence, option (C) is incorrect.
Option (D) Buchner: Eduard Buchner discovered that a sugar solution can be converted to alcohol using yeast extract that does not contain any live yeast fungus. The result was that biochemical processes are controlled by special compounds, enzymes, produced in bacteria, rather than by living cells. Hence, option (D) is incorrect.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: Zymosis is a fermentation mechanism in which an infectious agent breaks down glucose into alcohol. The enzyme complex zymase catalyses the reaction. This enzyme is found naturally in yeast. It catalyses the conversion of sugar to ethanol, releasing carbon dioxide.