Salt concentration increases Saccharomyces cerevisiae’s ethanol production during fermentation

Abstract

S. cerevisiae, a type of yeast typically used in alcoholic brewing, ferments at a normal rate without manipulation. Manipulating it with varying concentrations of sugars or salts allows for variation in fermentation. We proposed that manipulating the salt concentration may result in a slower fermentation process. We conducted 9 trials comparing the increase or decrease of ethanol production as 2 varying salt concentrations were added and compared it to a control group with no added salt concentration. We discovered that salt concentration may increase the production of ethanol within the fermentation process. We expect these new findings to be of interest to those who study the fermentation and the products that are released as fermentation increases, such as marine environmentalists and industrialists.