Yeast is a Beast at Producing CO2

Abstract

Yeast is a major factor in many processes including baking, brewing, and biofuel production (French, et al. 2017). The company researchers at Acme Brewing and Baking are studying what can maximize or minimize the production of CO2 or ethanol in yeast, or the growth rate via aerobic cellular respiration or fermentation (2017). The question we studied was, “how does the temperature of the water yeast is grown in affect its carbon dioxide production?” To test this, we recorded the CO2 levels before and after 10 minutes in yeast solutions at 10˚C, 23˚C, and 38˚C. Carbon Dioxide levels directly correlate to the growth rate of yeast, as cellular respiration is the source of energy and growth, and CO2 is a byproduct of the process. We found that warmer temperatures caused a greater increase in carbon dioxide production overall because the change in CO2 levels at 38˚C in comparison to the other trials were highest.