Fermentation is essentially glycolysis plus an extra step in which pyruvate is reduced to form lactate or alcohol and carbon dioxide. This last step __________.

• A. removes poisonous oxygen from the environment
• B. extracts a bit more energy from glucose
• C. prevents pyruvate from accumulating
• D. enables the cell to make pyruvate into substances it can use
• E. enables the cell to recycle the reduced NADH to oxidized NAD⁺