Topic 5.

Anaerobic Respiration in Yeast: Using Different Substrates Lab Report

By: Fasharra Branagan Salma Hussain Ridwana Fairuz

Introduction:
This lab report that I have put together adequately describes my experiment and the purpose behind it. With respect to Anaerobic Respiration in Yeast my partners and I used different types of sugars and substrates to in our experiment. Our hypothesis was that the rate of respiration is fastest with the monosaccharides because they are simplest in make-up. My partners and I conducted a lab that tested the rate of respiration using the monosaccharides: fructose and glucose, disaccharides: maltose and sucrose and have starch as the only polysaccharide. We tested these rates using yeast as an activator that along with the substrates started the respiration process.

Methods and Materials:

We first labeled the experimental tubes for the different types of sugars. In each of these tubes we had about .35 grams of yeast. At the 0 min mark we took one of the test tubes containing the yeast and added one of the sugars. The sugars that we were testing each had a concentration of 10% . Though we did use distilled water as a control. After adding the sugar we then place the tube containing the solution into the water bath. At the 9 min mark we attach a stopper to the tube that is in the water bath. From that we start to record the data. At the 10 min mark we then put another yeast and sugar solution within the water bath. At the 18 min mark we then stopped the recording of the data collection and took the slope. You then repeat these steps for the next 48 minutes.

Results:
The table and the bar graph below both represent the results that my partners and I concluded with when we conducted our experiment:

Table 1.

76Substr ate

Concentration
(%)

Rate
(kpa/min)

Rate
(ml CO2/min)

Glucose Fructose Sucrose Maltose Starch

10 10 10 10 10

4.007 3.942 3.678 2.968 0.116

(ml CO2 / min) 0.831 0.818 0.763 0.616 0.024

Bar Graph 1.

Table 1 and Graph 1. The colors represent different types of sugars. The green represents the monosaccharides, the red, disaccharides and the blue represents the only polysaccharide. Under the column labeled substrate it lists under it the sugars that we used in our experiment. Every substrate has a 10% concentration but as you can see above the slope and the rate of CO2 per min are all different. The slope for each of the substrates were given to us by the computer when we put the rubber stopper on the tubes to calibrate the information. The last column shown is the rate of respiration when the yeast is combined with the different substrates.

The information given above is information that was taken during one trial. When observing the above graph and table you are able to depict a slight trend that had emerged. As you move down from the monosaccharides to the polysaccharide, the rate of both the slope and the amount of CO2 per minute is decreasing. This trend is visually clear when studying the bar graph above. Looking at the bar graph, it is very obvious that the two monosaccharides were very close with their rates and so were the disaccharides. The only one that was not near any of the other rates was the polysaccharide: starch. Its rate was no where near the vicinity of the other 4 substrates. This in itself is very

interesting.

Discussion:
The results that show for the starch can be explained in a simple manner. One theory on why it was so much slower that the other 4 substrates was that it was much more complex in structure. Since it was so much more complex in structure it was not able to break down as easy as the other ones. A monosaccharide such as fructose and glucose are the simplest. They are the most basic/ simplest form of sugar. A disaccharide is made up of two of these but a polysaccharide is made up of more. A polysaccharide is a polymer. A polymer that is made up of units of monosaccharides or disaccharides carbohydrates. Even though fructose and glucose are both monosaccharides, glucose is still able to have a faster rate than fructose. The common theory is that fructose has a slower rate because it has a much higher glycemic index. Meaning that it is harder to breakdown than the other monosaccharide: glucose. The results that were given supported my hypothesis to an extent. I hypothesized that the monosaccharides would have the fastest rate between the disaccharides and the polysaccharide, but I never simplified it by saying whether it would be glucose or fructose (having the fastest rate). For further research, I would like to conduct an experiment that would test the different fruit juices. By testing the different fruit juices, I could then examine and see which fruit has mostly fructose as their sugar or how much glucose is in the fruit juice. I would be able to do this because the information that I collected within this experiment will give me the necessary tools. It would give me the necessary tools because I know which sugars act best with the yeast to have the

fastest/slowest rate of CO2 production when added to yeast. Another experiment that we could conduct to further answer our hypothesis would be to study substrates/ sugars that are equal in size and glycemic index if that is possible.

References:
Smith, S. E. "What Is the Difference Between Dextrose, Fructose, and Glucose?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. Conjecture Corporation, 25 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-betweendextrose-fructose-and-glucose.htm. Sugars & Polysaccharides." Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) :: Architecture, Business, Engineering, IT, Humanities, Science. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. <http://rpi.edu/dept/bcbp/molbiochem/MBWeb/mb1/part2/sugar.htm>.