Higher Sucrose Concentrations Increase Fermentation in Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

Abstract

Yeast can use sugar to produce more ethanol during fermentation. We studied the effects sucrose concentration had on the ethanol production of baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The goal of our experiment is to determine which sucrose concentration promotes the most ethanol during the fermentation process, which is used in popular products such as bread and alcohol. We had 4 concentrations from 2% to 5%, and then determined the amount of ethanol produced by the yeast at each concentration. Our results support our hypothesis in that the amount of ethanol produced increased as the sugar concentration increased. Therefore, to achieve maximum ethanol production, a higher concentration of sugar should be used.