Acetone, Butanol and Ethanol refer to what in ABE fermentation?

• A. A type of solvent mixture used in wood treatment.
• B. Three unrelated alcohols with no relation to fermentation.
• C. The three compounds produced in an ABE fermentation (A, B and E).
• D. Byproducts of aerobic respiration.

Answer: (C)

In ABE fermentation, acetone, butanol, and ethanol are the three solvent products produced by solventogenic Clostridium species. The process unfolds in two stages: acidogenesis, which makes acetic and butyric acids, followed by solventogenesis, where those acids are converted into the solvents acetone, butanol, and ethanol. This is why these three compounds are collectively referred to as the outputs of ABE fermentation. The other options don’t fit: it isn’t just a general wood-treatment solvent mix, they are related fermentation products (not unrelated alcohols), and they aren’t byproducts of aerobic respiration.