Investigating the effect of concentration of sugar on the respiration rate of yeast

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Amanda Walters

Investigating the effect of concentration of sugar on the respiration rate of yeast

We did an investigation to find how different concentrations of sugar effect the respiration rate of yeast and which type of concentration works best.

Respiration is not breathing in and out; it is the breakdown of glucose to make energy using oxygen. Every living cell in every living organism uses respiration to make energy all the time. Plants respire (as well as photosynthesise) to release energy for growth, active uptake, etc.... They can also respire anaerobically (without oxygen) to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide as by-products. This reaction is shown in the equation:

Glucose

Ethanol + Carbon Dioxide + Energy

C6H12O6

2C2H5OH + 2CO2

Anaerobic respiration by yeast is generally called fermentation. Yeast is a living organism that produces enzymes. These enzymes break down glucose (by colliding with each other) to be able to respire anaerobically.

I predict that the rate of fermentation will increase proportionally as the concentration of sugar increases but only up to a certain point were it will begin to decrease and eventually stop.