Glycolysis is the process in which one glucose molecule is BROKEN down to form two MOLECULES of pyruvic acid (also called PYRUVATE). The glycolysisprocess is a multi-step metabolic pathway that occurs in the cytoplasm of animal cells, plant cells, and the cells of microorganisms.Aerobic (“oxygen-using”) respiration occurs in three stages: glycolysis, the Krebs CYCLE, and electron transport. In glycolysis, glucose is split into two molecules of pyruvate. This results in a net gain of two ATP molecules.The essential metabolic pathway ofglycolysis involves the oxidative breakdown of one glucose into two pyruvate with the capture of some energy as ATP and NADH.Glycolysis is important in the cell because glucose is the main source of fuel for tissues in the body.Glycolysis is the first of the main metabolic pathways of cellular respiration to produce energy in the form of ATP. Through two distinct phases, the six-carbon RING of glucose is cleaved into two three-carbon sugars of pyruvate through a series of enzymatic reactions.