Sucrose vs. Glucose: The Effect of Carbohydrates on Ethanol Production of Yeast

Abstract

From the making of bread and alcoholic beverages to the production of biofuels, yeast and ethanol are all around us. Ethanol is an essential commodity in today’s day and age. Our curiosity led us to question which type of sugar would maximize the production of yeast and produce more ethanol. We hypothesize that sucrose will yield a larger production of yeast compared to glucose. To test our hypothesis, we will measure the ethanol output of sucrose and compare it to the ethanol output of glucose. We found that sucrose produces more ethanol than glucose, which ultimately yields more yeast. Ethanol manufacturers should utilize sucrose when looking for ways to maximize ethanol production.