Introduction
The purpose of this investigation is to test the effects of multiple sugar substances on the respiration of yeast. Most people think of yeast when they think of what makes bread rise, cheese, alcoholic beverages, or other food products. Another type of yeast can also cause yeast infections, an infection of the skin. Yeasts (Saccharomyces) are tiny, microscopic organisms with a thin membrane and are usually oval or circular-shaped. They are a type of single-celled fungi of the class Ascomycetes, capable of processing sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) ; this process is known as fermentation. Fermentation and the products are the main focus points for this experiment being that cellular respiration of yeasts happens via the process of fermentation, which creates by-products of alcohol and CO2. The level of CO2 produced by the yeasts will show how effective each sugar substance is in providing cellular energy for the yeasts.
The name for the process of fermentation comes from ‘fervere’, the Latin word meaning “to boil”. Early observers of the process assigned this name to it because as fermentation occurred in barrels containing crushed grapes, being used to create wine, bubbles were produced making it appear as though the mixture were boiling. Yeasts have been secretly creating alcoholic (fermented) beverages since ancient times in Asia, Egypt, Babylon, and many other early civilizations. However, no one knew what made the process work and what made the creation of such fermented beverages possible. When people think of traditional wine makers, it is not uncommon to picture someone standing in a large bucket mashing up grapes with their feet. These ancient wine makers realized that for some odd r...
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Forristal, Linda. “The Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup.” Westonaprice.org. Ed. Linda Forristal. 2003. 24 July 2008. .
Fermentation is the biological process which allows humans to brew beer, or any other alcoholic beverage. This process occurs in the absence of oxygen, as a means for the cell to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the source of cellular energy. Though little energy can be produced in this manner, it allows the yeast to survive in t...
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Rate of Respiration in Yeast Aim: I am going to investigate the rate of respiration of yeast cells in the presence of two different sugar solutions: glucose, sucrose. I will examine the two solutions seeing which one makes the yeast respire faster. I will be able to tell which sugar solution is faster at making the yeast respire by counting the number of bubbles passed through 20cm of water after the yeast and glucose solutions have been mixed. Prediction: I predict that the glucose solution will provide the yeast with a better medium by which it will produce a faster rate of respiration. This is because glucose is the simplest type of carbohydrate (monosaccharide).
With such an obsession with sweet foods, there is an obvious desire for an explanation of how such a once unknown substance took center stage on everybody's snack, dessert, and candy list. That's where Sidney W. Mintz comes into play. He decided to write this book Sweetness and Power, and from the looks of all the sources he used to substantiate his ideas and data, it seems that he is not the first person to find the role that sugar plays in modern society important. By analyzing who Mintz's audience is meant to be, what goals he has in writing this book, what structure his book incorporates, what type, or types, of history he represents within the book, what kind of sources he uses, and what important information and conclusions he presents, we can come to better understand Mintz's views and research of the role of sugar in history, and how much it really affects our lives as we know them.
The Effects of Concentration of Sugar on the Respiration Rate of Yeast Investigating the effect of concentration of sugar on the respiration rate of yeast We did an investigation to find how different concentrations of sugar effect the respiration rate of yeast and which type of concentration works best. Respiration is not breathing in and out; it is the breakdown of glucose to make energy using oxygen. Every living cell in every living organism uses respiration to make energy all the time. Plants respire (as well as photosynthesise) to release energy for growth, active uptake, etc…. They can also respire anaerobically (without oxygen) to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide as by-products.
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Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. 4 Ways Sugar Could Be Harming Your Mental Health | Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/where-science-meets-the-steps/201309/4-ways-sugar-could-be-harming-your-mental-health
This lab attempted to find the rate at which Carbon dioxide is produced when five different test solutions: glycine, sucrose, galactose, water, and glucose were separately mixed with a yeast solution to produce fermentation, a process cells undergo. Fermentation is a major way by which a living cell can obtain energy. By measuring the carbon dioxide released by the test solutions, it could be determined which food source allows a living cell to obtain energy. The focus of the research was to determine which test solution would release the Carbon Dioxide by-product the quickest, by the addition of the yeast solution. The best results came from galactose, which produced .170 ml/minute of carbon dioxide. Followed by glucose, this produced .014 ml/minute; finally, sucrose which produced .012ml/minute of Carbon Dioxide. The test solutions water and glycine did not release Carbon Dioxide because they were not a food source for yeast. The results suggest that sugars are very good energy sources for a cell where amino acid, Glycine, is not.
Artificial sweeteners are fake sugar substitutes that many people use to maintain their weight and diabetes. But, what many people do not understand is that artificial sweeteners are not all they are cracked up to be. It is a proven fact that people who consume diet coke on a regular basis will be fatter one year from the time they began drinking them. Many artificial sugars are in the everyday items that people eat/drink including soda, chewing gum, energy drinks, granola bars, cereal, and much more. There are many aversive health effects that are associated with specific artificial sweeteners. The most common artificial sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, neotame, and Acesulfame- K. Although artificial sweeteners are assumed to be a healthy option but, in the long run they can cause many aversive health conditions that could have been prevented by just consuming natural sugar.
Probably some of the most pleasurable and enjoyable memories of a person has to do with sweets. When thinking back to birthdays, there is always the memory of the wonderful cake that mother beautifully made and decorated with frosting and glazes. A typical night out with dad can be transformed into a magical evening with a trip to the ice cream parlor. The end of a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner turns heavenly when a hot apple pie is brought to the table and topped with delicious, melting vanilla ice cream. A good wedding is never complete without the cutting of the splendid multi-level wedding cake, when the happy new couple gets to playfully shove and smear cake and white frosting into each other’s smiling faces. Everyone knows that as a child, the only good part about going to the dentist is getting the candy bar at the end of the visit. Why do some people get sick after eating too much suger? Some people do not even know that the abuse of sugar can lead to negative effects on your body. There is something strangely enjoyable and resplendent about the consumption of sugar. Why is it that sugar is so deliciously enjoyable and at the same time a food product that has many negative affects on people’s health?
Aspartame is made out of two amino acids, aspartic acid (40%) and phenylalanine (50%), both of which have been shown to affect the health and mental stability of those consuming them. But the worst component, Methanol (10%), is an alcohol that is highly poisonous, which once it enters the body turns into Formaldehyde, a deadly neurotoxin. And the reason we put this deadly substance in our body? Because aspartame is a substitute for “unhealthy” sugar. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so a large amount of sugar, such as in a soft drink, can be substituted for a little amount of Aspartame, and that is how a majority of diet soft drinks are made, by substituting a caloric rich sugar for a deadly combination of chemicals.
In the process of breaking down sugar, ethanol and carbon dioxide are produced. When there is more energy available, more ethanol is produced and subsequently so is carbon dioxide. The amount of carbon dioxide released can be measured by the air gap established in the respirometer. In this experiment, the single-celled fungi Saccharomyces, known as yeast, is used to consume and convert the sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide. In this experiment, the Independent variable is the type of sugar being used by the yeast and the dependent variable is the size of the air gap in the respirometer after two
We are all familiar with sugar. It is sweet, delicious, and addictive; yet only a few of us know that it is deadly. When it comes to sugar, it seems like most people are in the mind frame knowing that it could be bad for our health, but only a few are really taking the moderate amounts. In fact, as a whole population, each and everyone of us are still eating about 500 extra calories per day from sugar. Yes, that seems like an exaggerated number judging from the tiny sweet crystals we sprinkle on our coffee, but it is not. Sugar is not only present in the form of sweets and flavourings, it is hidden in all the processed foods we eat. We have heard about the dangers of eating too much fat or salt, but we know very little about the harmful effects of consuming too much sugar. There still isn’t any warnings about sugar on our food labels, nor has there been any broadcasts on the serious damages it could do to our health. It has come to my concern during my research that few