Fermentation Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fermentation - Lab Report Example Maltose is a disaccharide which is composed of two units of glucose joined with an ÃŽ ±(1→4) bond. The enzyme maltase splits the maltose into simple glucose molecules which are further transformed by yeast into carbon dioxide and water. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is common yeast normally used in the baking and brewing industry due to the ability of this organism to ferment carbohydrates such as glucose and maltose to produce alcohol. This organism has been used since the ancient times. S. cerevisiae can be differentiated from other yeasts based on its growth characteristics and the physiological trait of fermenting individual sugars (US environmental protection agency n.p). In this experiment, the dependent variables were the concentrations of maltose while the independent variables were the temperature and yeast concentrations. The aim of this experiment was to determine the effect of maltose on the production of carbon dioxide during fermentation. The hypotheses formulated included: Four different flasks were each labelled in triplicates according to the concentrations of maltose used in the experiment. They were labelled as different concentrations of 10% maltose solution 5ml, 10ml, 15ml and water in triplicates. The corresponding concentrations of the maltose were then added to the flasks and mixed with yeast suspension, mixed and incubated. The respirometer was then prepared to take 3ml of the different solutions and 1ml of air. The syringes containing the solution were attached to a 1ml pipette and a droplet of water allowed into the pipette. This allowed for the carbon dioxide produced in the fermentation process to cause a rise in the water droplet which was measured after an interval of 10 minutes. The means of the data obtained from the readings were compared using students paired samples t-test. The results obtained indicated that the concentrations of carbon dioxide produced generally increased depending on the amount of time. Comparison of the