The Effect of Sucrose and Glucose on Ethanol Production in Yeast

Abstract

Ethanol has recently been able to be used in biofuel production. Yeast produces ethanol when placed in an environment lacking oxygen. Companies, such as Acme Brewing and Baking (AB&B), are interested in maximizing yeast growth and the output of ethanol to increase the amount of available biofuels. AB&B found that different types of sugars, can affect yeast growth and ethanol production. We tested the effect of different types of sugars on yeast’s production of ethanol by running 3 trials, one control, one glucose solution, and one sucrose solution and measuring the ethanol produced by each. We found sucrose was the more effective agent in increasing ethanol production in yeast. This means if AB&B wants to maximize biofuel production, sucrose would be more helpful than glucose.