A Spoonful of Sugar helps Ethanol Production? Comparing the Effect of Sucrose and Corn Sugar on the Ethanol Production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract

Baker’s yeast, or Saccharomyces cerevisiae is commonly used in bread and alcohol production, but it also produces biofuels which sustain the environment. This experiment examines how the complexity of sugar affects the ethanol production of yeast. The prediction was that yeast grown with corn sugar would produce more ethanol than yeast grown with sucrose, since corn sugar is less complex and chemically identical to glucose, which typically ferments faster than other sugars. Three trials were performed, in which yeast was grown in identical biochambers containing either sucrose and corn sugar while the ethanol production was recorded. The results indicated that yeast grown in sucrose produced more ethanol than yeast grown with corn sugar. Therefore, the suggestion was that the complexity of sucrose provides the yeast with more energy.