What is produced at the end of glycolysis?

At the end of glycolysis, the process results in the production of two molecules of pyruvate. Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway that occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell, where one molecule of glucose (a six-carbon sugar) is broken down through a series of enzymatic reactions into two molecules of pyruvate (each containing three carbons).

During this process, although four molecules of ATP are generated, two molecules of ATP are consumed in the initial steps, leading to a net gain of two ATP molecules. The pyruvate produced can then enter the mitochondria for further processing, either via aerobic respiration or fermentation, depending on the presence of oxygen. Hence, the primary product directly resulting from glycolysis is indeed the two molecules of pyruvate. The other options—like glucose and citric acid—are either reactants or products of different metabolic pathways and not the direct outcomes of glycolysis itself.