Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which terms did Louis Pasteur introduce for organisms that live with or without oxygen?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Louis Pasteur introduced the terms aerobic and anaerobic to describe organisms based on their oxygen requirements. He defined aerobic organisms as those that live in the presence of oxygen, while anaerobic organisms are those that function in its absence.1

Pasteur arrived at these definitions during his research into fermentation and putrefaction. He observed that certain fermentation processes could be inhibited by the introduction of air, leading him to conclude that specific life-forms were capable of surviving only without oxygen.1