Names: Macy Suazo

Shawnique Patton
Lakeisa Smith
Course: BILB223 - Microbiology Lab
Section: 1
Title: Respiration of Yeast in Various Sugar Solutions
Aim: The aim of this experiment is to investigate which of the four different
forms of sugars (dextrose, lactose, maltose and sucrose) and water is
more readily metabolized by yeast.
Materials:
10ml 10% Dextrose
10ml 10% Lactose
10ml 10% Maltose
10ml 10% Sucrose
10ml Distilled Water
Room Temperature Water
Yeast
Bunsen burner
Lighting splint

Tripod stand
500ml Beaker
1000ml Beaker
Thermometer
5 Test Tubes
Test Tube Rack
Graduated Cylinder
Stop Clock
Spatula

Method:
1. Using a graduated cylinder, measure and add 10ml of Dextrose (A),
Lactose (B), Maltose (C), Sucrose (D), and Water (E) to five separate test
tubes. Label the test tubes A-E respectively.
2. Set up a Bunsen flame and bring a 1000ml beaker filled with water to a
boil.
3. Add portions of boiled water and room temperature water to the 500ml
beaker until the temperature reads between 35C and 40C.
4. Place the 5 test tubes in the 500ml beaker and wait approximately 3
minutes for their temperatures to acclimate. If at any point during the
experiment, the temperature decreases below 35C, add hot water until
the temperature is once again in the desired range.
5. Once the temperatures in the test tubes have acclimated, quickly but
carefully add 2 loopfuls of yeast to each of the test tubes and mix until
mostly dissolved. Let sit and do not shake.
6. Every 5 minutes for the next 30 minutes, measure and record the foam
level of each of the test tubes.
7. Tabulate and interpret results.

Results:

Time (min)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30

A
0
6
8
14
15
17
17

B
0
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.10
0.10
0.10

Foam Level (mm)

C
0
6
8
12
15
20
22

D
0
10
15
22
28
29
29

E
0
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
Fig.1

Graph:

Respiration of Yeast In Various Sugar Solutions

Dextrose

Lactose

Sucrose

Distilled Water

Maltose

Fig.2
Discussion:
Yeast are able to metabolize some foods, but not others. In order for an
organism to make use of a potential source of food, it must be capable of
transporting the food into its cells. It must also have the proper enzymes
capable of breaking the foods chemical bonds in a useful way. Sugars are
vital to all living organisms. Yeast are capable of using some but not all
sugars as a food source. Yeast can metabolize sugar in two ways, aerobically,
with the aid of oxygen, or anaerobically, without oxygen.
In this experiment, we aimed to determine which of water and the four
different forms of sugar (dextrose, lactose, maltose and sucrose) are more
readily metabolized by yeast. When yeast respire aerobically or
anaerobically, carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced. Therefore, the greater the
CO2 foam level, the more yeast is respiring i.e. the more readily the solution
is metabolized by yeast. As seen in Fig.2, sucrose yielded the highest carbon

dioxide production, therefore sucrose is the most readily metabolized sugar,

followed by maltose, dextrose, lactose and distilled water respectively. These
experimental results fit the expected theoretical outcome of the experiment.
Yeast has to break down complex carbohydrates to simple sugars in
order to use them for respiration; namely to glucose then to fructose.
Sucrose is a di-saccharide (double sugar) made of glucose and fructose
linked together. The enzyme to break that double sugar into single sugars is
fairly common in most living organisms including yeast. Maltose is a
disaccharide formed from two units of glucose. It follows that this would be
the second most readily metabolized sugar. Lactose is a double sugar made
of glucose and galactose linked together. That link is both strong and the
enzyme is not so common (certainly not in common bakers yeast). It also
follows that this would be the least readily metabolized sugar.
Conclusion: