What is the main product produced during photosynthesis?

The main product produced during photosynthesis is glucose. During this process, plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy, usually from the sun, into chemical energy stored in glucose. This happens primarily in the chloroplasts of plant cells, where chlorophyll captures sunlight and drives the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen through a series of reactions known as the light-dependent and light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle).

While oxygen is also a byproduct of photosynthesis and is released into the atmosphere, the primary objective of the photosynthetic process is to create glucose, which serves as an energy source for the plant and, ultimately, for other organisms that consume the plant. Glucose provides the necessary energy for cellular respiration, growth, and metabolism. The other choices—carbon dioxide and water—are actually reactants in the photosynthesis process, needed to produce glucose rather than being the end product.