Yeast Fermentation Lab Report

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As evidenced by the data collected, different concentrations of sucrose do indeed affect the rate of CO2 production in yeast. When there is more sugar in a solution, more bubbles of CO2 are produced. This happens because of a anaerobic process called alcoholic fermentation, which is carried out by saccharomyces in order to convert sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide [1]. In this particular experiment, the yeast in the conical flask was forced to perform fermentation because its access to oxygen was being restricted by a rubber bung. During the first step of anaerobic respiration, the yeast breaks down sucrose (a disaccharide) into glucose (monosaccharides) through the use of an enzyme named invertase [2]. After this happens, the saccharomyce moves on to the next phase of respiration: glycolysis [3]. …show more content…

As a result of such chemical reactions, two ATP molecules are produced, while NAD+ is reduced to NADH [4]. However, since glycolysis can only occur if NAD+ is available, the yeast has to recycle NADH back into the aforementioned electron carrier for more sugar to be split later on [5][8]. This is achieved by decarboxylating pyruvate (3C) molecules into acetylaldehyde (2C) molecules: a process that ends up releasing CO2 as a byproduct [6][8]. After such transpires, another enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase transports a hydrogen anion (H-) from NADH onto to the acetaldehyde molecule, producing ethanol and regenerating NAD+ as a result [7][4]. There is a limit, however, to how much respiration can be done by the yeast due to the toxicity of ethyl alcohol [5]. Such means that the saccharomyce would eventually reach a point where it could no longer produce carbon dioxide (plateau)

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