Yeast fermentation rates according to ethanol production: looking at similar respiration rates of monosaccharides

Abstract

Anaerobic respiration in yeast is a process in which sugars are broken down and converted into ethanol (Dashko et al., 2014). There are many factors affecting the rate at which fermentation occurs; for instance, different types of sugars yield varying amounts of ethanol. Our investigation is unique because we observed the rate of ethanol production using monosaccharides exclusively. For three trials, we manipulated glucose, honey, and high fructose corn syrup individually in order to investigate a difference in the rate of ethanol production. Our results suggest a minimal distinction in respiration rates between the monosaccharides due to chemical makeup. This is significant because it shows that the three monosaccharides behave similarly in yeast fermentation. Using the same procedure, future studies could evaluate different concentrations of the sugars.

studies could evaluate different concentrations of the sugars.