Fermenting Yeast and Sugar

Abstract

This study examines the process of fermentation by seeing the effects it has on different concentrations of sugar. The activity of fermentation is determined by measuring the amount of carbon dioxide each sugar bottle produces. The results of the experiment would show the correlation amounts of sugar has on the rate of fermentation. I believe that with higher amounts of sugar, the rate of fermentation will increase resulting in a higher amount of carbon dioxide being produced. 

Introduction

Fermentation is a metabolic process where microorganisms, such as yeast, convert sugar into simpler compounds like ethanol or carbon dioxide. Sugar is broken down in order to generate energy with the absence of oxygen. Yeast reacts with sugar because yeast produces enzymes that react with sugar. They use anaerobic respiration due to the absence of oxygen and create energy by fermenting sugars. Yeast is present in bread dough and it feeds on sugar and other starches to release carbon dioxide. This is why the bread dough rises when it’s put aside. This experiment will test the relationship and focus on the effect the amount of sugar has on the rate of fermentation. With higher amounts of sugar, the rate of fermentation should increase because there is more content to convert. 

Materials and Methods

• 4 12 oz bottles
• Sugar
• Yeast
• Balloons
• Funnel
• Warm water

First, each bottle was filled with 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast. Then each bottle was filled with different amounts of sugar. The first bottle had no sugar, the second had 1 teaspoon, the third had 2 teaspoons, and the fourth had 3 teaspoons. After setting up all the dry ingredients, one cup of warm water was added to each bottle. When all the ingredients are added to the bottle, the bottle is stirred so it can all mix together. And then finally, put a balloon on each bottle and leave it to sit for an hour. 

Results 

After letting all the bottles sit for an hour, the results showed that the balloon with no sugar in it did not grow at all. However, all the other bottles did grow in size. The bottle with 1 teaspoon of sugar grew the least compared to the bottle with 2 and 3 teaspoons of sugar. This is because the bottles with 2 and 3 teaspoons had more sugar for the yeast to feed on. The bottle with no sugar grew to nothing because the yeast had nothing to feed on.

Discussion

After filling each bottle with different amounts of sugar and letting it sit for an hour, it was confirmed that the rate of fermentation increased resulting in a higher amount of carbon dioxide produced. In this case, the bottle with 3 teaspoons of sugar had more carbon dioxide than the bottle with 1 teaspoon of sugar because there was more sugar for the yeast to feed on. As more sugar got broken down, it released more gas causing the balloon to be bigger. One limitation in this experiment could’ve been temperature. Temperature can play a part and have an effect on the performance of the yeast. Another limitation is that there could have been some level of oxygen present in the bottles even though the yeast is supposed to feed with the absence of oxygen. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, this experiment confirms that the rate of fermentation increases when there is more sugar for the yeast to feed on resulting in more gas being produced. This experiment helps us better understand the process of fermentation. It helps us understand how energy can be created and how it can be created without the presence of oxygen. This process matters to many industries such as the food industry, especially the ones that make bread. Fermentation is one of the processes that occur when making bread and the energy being produced is what causes the bread to rise. This experiment shows that more energy is produced with more sugar for the yeast to feed on. References

The Sci Guys. “The Sci Guys: Science at Home – SE2 – EP2: Yeast & Sugar Fermentation.” YouTube, 27 June 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYClCHVT00M.“Single-Celled Science: Yeasty Beasties.” Scientific American, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/single-celled-science-yeasty-beasties/.