Energy Yield from Glycolysis

In cellular respiration, glucose undergoes a series of enzymatic reactions to yield energy in the form of ATP. The primary pathway for this process is glycolysis, which takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell. During glycolysis, one molecule of glucose is converted into two molecules of pyruvate, resulting in the production of a net gain of 2 ATP and 2 NADH.

After glycolysis, if oxygen is present, pyruvate enters the mitochondria for further processing in the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle), while in anaerobic conditions, it may be converted to lactate. Understanding the energetic yield from these processes is crucial to evaluating the efficiency of glucose metabolism.

Based on these processes, which of the following statements correctly describes the main energy-producing outcome of glycolysis?