Heat that Yeast: The Effect of Temperature on CO2 Production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is known for its ability to grow and produce bread, beer, and biofuels. The yeast undergoes alcoholic fermentation and releases CO2 as a byproduct. At Acme Brewing and Baking, we have been studying ways to maximize CO2 production in yeast to create more products. We hypothesize that increasing temperature will increase fermentation because heat activates enzymes in the yeast. We conducted a trial testing the CO2 output of the yeast for 5 minutes at 18ºC, 22ºC, and 30ºC. Our results supported our hypothesis showing that the yeast produced more CO2 on average (1659.4ppm) at the highest temperature of 30℃ than any of the other temperatures.  For AB&B, increasing the temperature will boost yeast growth to create more products for human use.