Battle of the Sweeteners: The Effects of Artificial Sugars on Ethanol Production in Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

Abstract

S. cerevisiae is commonly used for baking and brewing companies as an ethanol source. Sucrose, or table sugar, is most commonly used, but artificial sugars such as Sweet’N Low (saccharin) and Equal (aspartame) are cheaper alternatives in the production of ethanol. We tested the ethanol productivity of saccharin and aspartame compared to sucrose. We found that there was no statistical significant difference in the ethanol production between sucrose and the artificial sugars, but based on the graphical representation, the artificial sugars produced more ethanol than sucrose. Therefore, brewing companies could use artificial sweeteners as a more cost effective alternative.