The Effect of Temperature on the Rate of which Yeast Produces Ethanol

Abstract

When fermentation of yeast occurs, the outcome is ethanol and carbon dioxide (Shoffner et al. n.d.). Ethanol is a valuable product in the brewing industry, which means it is vital to investigate how to produce it in a high quantity at a low cost. In this experiment, our group conducted experiments to measure the amount of ethanol produced from yeast in room temperature (23*C) and in a warmer temperature (50*C). We anticipated the amount of ethanol to increase in warmer temperatures compared to room temperature because when the ambient temperature increases, the reaction rates that happen inside the cells increase as well (Volland, 2012). After conducting three experiments all at room temperature (23*C), we found that the average rate of ethanol produced every generation per hour/minute (k), was 0.002 k. After we conduct trials next week when the ambient temperature is 50*C, we will have more results.