Yeast Fermentation Lab

Fermentation Lab CEJ

The scientists conducted an experiment to investigate an alternative sugar source that could produce the most CO2. They were hired by a baker, Jim Baker, to help him create a new type of bread that is both fluffy and unique using a different type of sugar rather than the traditional sugar. Making bread includes a process called alcoholic fermentation, which is a process that converts glucose, a sugar, into ethanol and CO2 (equation: C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2 ). Alcoholic fermentation is one of the two ways the cell can produce ATP without oxygen in anaerobic cellular respiration. The CO2 product from alcoholic fermentation is what causes the bread to be fluffy and is the reason the scientists specifically focused on the

The independent variable was the type of sugar: date sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and granulated sugar (control group). The constants were the amount of yeast (~2.41g), the amount of each sugar (4.14 g), and the amount of water in the Erlenmeyer flasks (75mL). First, the scientists combined each type of sugar of yeast in four separate test tubes. At the same time, they heated the water in between 27-38°C but focused on 35°C for optimum temperature. Lastly, the scientists combined each sugar and yeast in the test tube and then poured it into the heated water (38.3°F), observing the amount of CO2 in 30-second intervals of five minutes. The four tests with each of the sugar-yeast mixture were tested in one trial. The scientists observed the speed of each reaction in 30-second intervals as well as measured the final result of CO2 after the five minutes. The 30-second intervals during the five minutes helped the scientists see the progress of the reaction that was happening and compare it to the reaction occurring on another sugar test. In Table 1 the time intervals that do contain observations, there was either no reaction happening or nothing changed. The intervals that the scientists had observed, they observed the time it takes for CO2 bubbles to appear; in addition final amount, showing the total reaction each sugar could produce. Using the control, granulated sugar (traditional), was also essential

Then, at the two minute mark, the date, and the powdered sugar produced bubbles around the rim, while the brown sugar had bubbles collected into the center of the flask and the control showed no sign of CO2 being produced. At the five minute mark, the traditional sugar had the most bubbles on the surface (1.905 cm), the second was date sugar (1.27 cm) and lastly, powdered and brown came in third (0.5 cm). The measured height of the bubbles allowed the scientists to quantitatively compare and contrast the different types of sugar and the CO2 produced through fermentation, which led to the conclusion of date sugar being the best alternative source to traditional sugar. Our data compared to other scientists showed both similarities and differences which can be seen. Three groups of scientists concluded that powdered sugar produced the most CO2 --excluding the traditional granulated sugar. Their result was similar to the scientists’ for the powdered sugar, which was considered the best alternative for traditional sugar. With another group, the scientists observed that they concluded that powdered sugar produced the second largest amount of CO2. Their evidence supports the scientists’ conclusion that there is another sugar possible of producing a greater amount of CO2 compared to the powdered sugar; thus suggesting date sugar