The Effects of Temperature on CO2 Production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Saccharomyces cerevisiae was once primarily used in the production of baker's goods. Since scientists have discovered ways to use this microorganism to generate biofuels. Acme Brewing and Baking has devoted much of their efforts into developing strains of the microorganism that produce less waste and more growth. In our experiment, we took a deeper look into the rates that the AB&B growth media underwent fermentation at varying temperatures. To do so, we created a biochamber filled with a water-based solution with 0.80 grams of sucrose, a buffer solution (sodium nitrate), and baker’s yeast. Throughout the experiment, we measured and documented the carbon dioxide levels within the biochamber at different temperatures (10, 20, and 30 degrees Celsius). We hypothesized that as the temperature increases, so will the carbon dioxide emissions. As we executed the experiment, our data represented that the net CO₂ emissions over a period of ten minutes experienced the greatest difference at a higher temperature. At 30 degrees Celsius, the average level of CO₂ present in the biochamber was 3212.6ppm while the average at 10 degrees Celsius was only 1111.4ppm. This trend reflects what we hypothesized, as the net CO₂ levels are directly proportional to the temperature. Looking forward, some other things that can be done to add to the experiment could include testing different sugars with different temperatures. This could allow us to see if the type of sugar and temperature cause the CO₂ levels to change which can benefit JIBI as a whole.