Determining which Type of Sugar Most Effectively Increases Yeast’s Ability to Grow

Abstract

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used on an industrial scale to convert sugars into ethanol and adenosine triphosphate through fermentation to make baked goods, beverages, and biofuels; therefore, in order to remain profitable yeast’s growth must be maximized. This study will investigate how sucrose, dextrose, and starch affect the anaerobic growth of yeast. To measure the yeast’s growth a spectrometer was used to obtain light absorbency values from the sucrose, dextrose, and starch enriched yeast samples. The results of our first and second trial were inconclusive due to inadequate data and data collection techniques, but our third trial with the help of a calibration curve produced interpretable data. So, since our first and second trial provided inadequate data, we were unable to determine whether or not sucrose makes yeast grow more than dextrose and starch.