Yeast and Its Reaction to Different Food Groups

Kristen Wedegis, Zach Funk, and Rebecca Nelson

ABSTRACT: The experiment that was performed tested how yeast reacted to the different types
of food groups. Yeast, warm water, and the independent variables (which were the different
types of food) were combined in separate test tubes. The independent variables were butter (fats),
hand squeezed tomato juice (vegetables), orange juice (fruits), honey, molasses, and frosted
flakes (those last three ingredients were chosen out of curiosity). After combining all the
variables, balloons were attached to the tops of the test tubes to measure how much carbon
dioxide was produced from the mixture. On the first day, tomato juice reacted most with yeast
and warm water. However, on the second day, it was orange juice and molasses that had the most
observable reaction.

PROBLEM: What food groups do yeast react the most to?

HYPOTHESIS: If yeast, warm water, and the food that was
chosen to represent the fats food group, butter, are combined,
then the carbon dioxide produced would be greater in amount
than that of any other food group we tested.

VARIABLES:
Dependent- The amount of carbon dioxide produced
Independent- The foods that were chosen to represent the different food groups
PROCEDURES:
1- Mix warm water and the independent variables (the foods) in all the test tubes
2- Add the yeast (we used Kroger Brand Active Dry Yeast)
3- Mix the ingredients together
4- Place balloons over the tops of the test tubes
5- Observe and measure the balloons size and the speed at which they fill up
6- Analyze the results and make a conclusion

Research: Yeast
Yeast is a microscopic fungus that is created by budding. It has the ability to convert
sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yeast has many functions, but it is most commonly used
for making bread and fermenting alcoholic beverages. Its domain is Eukaryota, which contain
animals, plants, bacteria, fungi, and protists. Yeasts kingdom is fungi, their phylum is
Ascomycota, their class is Saccharomycetes , their order is Saccharomycetales, their family is
Saccharomycetaceae, their genus is Saccharomyces, and their species is accharomyces cerevisia.
Yeast is a non-vascular species that can reproduce sexually or asexually. Yeast is form by
budding. They are single celled organisms who feed mainly on plant sugars.
The structures in yeast are the nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, cytoplasm, and
mitochondria. These structures have many functions. The nucleus contains genetic codes for all
the enzymes involved in respiration. The cell membrane allows gases and water to pass through
the cell while keeping chemicals out. The cell wall provides a rigid outer shell to maintain a cell
shape. Enzymes are contained in the mitochondria for the reactions in aerobic respiration. Yeast
can reproduce asexually and sexually, although the most common form of growth in yeast is
budding. Budding is asexual reproduction. In budding, a daughter cell is formed on the parent
cell. The parent cells nucleus divides and splits into a daughter cell nucleus and is transferred to
the daughter cell. Though budding is the most common type of vegetative growth, yeast can also
reproduce by fission.
There are two types of yeast respiration that can take place; aerobic and anaerobic.
Anaerobic respiration takes place in some yeasts and produces ethanol and carbon dioxide.
Anaerobic yeast respiration converts sugar into alcohol, carbon dioxide, and some energy
Aerobic respiration converts sugar and oxygen into water, carbon dioxide, and more energy. The
purpose of yeast in this lab was to determine of yeast are alive by measuring and observing the
amount of carbon dioxide produced. Carbon dioxide is a result of respiration, and respiration
produces energy which all living things need. Yeast functions very similarly to human cells. It
offers many benefits including minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. Yeast is a crucial role in our
diet. Yeast is present in various products which include, but are not limited to animal foods,
cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, and baking. Without yeast, many baked goods would not be
possible to make.

RESULTS:
DAY ONE:

3.
4.
5.
6.

1. Orange Juice
2. Honey
Tomato Juice
Molasses
Butter
Frosted Flakes

It was concluded that the yeast produced the most carbon dioxide when mixed with
tomato juice.
DAY TWO:
Orange 1-Sugar (control)
Yellow- Orange Juice
Green- Butter
Pink- Tomato Juice
Blue- Honey
Red- Frosted Flakes
Orange 2- Molasses

The conclusion was that the yeast reacted the most with orange juice and molasses.
However, more carbon dioxide was produced with the orange juice and it was produced quicker.
Both balloons were filled within a time period of 10 minutes. When the yeast was combined with
the orange juice it produced the most carbon dioxide, therefore filling the balloon in the fastest
amount of time and filling it the largest. In the picture above, it can be seen that the yellow
balloon is slightly larger than the orange balloon 2. The shape is more rounded for the yellow
balloon which is caused by more carbon dioxide inside the balloon. Also, when pressure was
applied to the yellow balloon there was a lot of resistance, whereas when pressure was applied to
the orange balloon 2 there was little resistance.

CONCLUSION
In this lab yeast was observed to see how it reacted to the different food groups. Yeast
was mixed with various foods, and then the amount of carbon dioxide that was produced was
measured by attaching balloons to the tops of the test tubes. The hypothesis stated if yeast, warm
water, and the food that was chosen to represent the fats food group, butter, were combined,
then the carbon dioxide produced would be greater in amount than that of any other food group
we tested. The experiment rejected the hypothesis because the yeast reacted quite poorly with the
butter on both days. On the first day, the yeast reacted the most to the tomato juice. The yeast
reacted very poorly to most all of the ingredients, except tomato juice. However, on the second
day the team came more prepared and the results were much more promising. The yeast reacted
the most to the orange juice and molasses on the second day. The data collected was not as
precise as it could have been with more planning and consideration.
The experiment was one with many flaws. On day one, the time efficiency was not as
good as it could have been, and we didnt perform the tasks quick enough. The water had already
begun to cool down before the ingredients were mixed. Also, the balloons were not fastened on
the test tubes immediately following the combining of the ingredients which means carbon
dioxide could have potentially escaped from the tubes. Day two was much better because the
group worked efficiently and as a team. Although there was a much structuralized plan, there
were still many errors. The balloons that were used were quite large. It was very difficult to tell
which balloons were filled with carbon dioxide without touching them. Also, when mixing the
test tube which was our control (sugar) we added the sugar first, which allowed for the sugar to
harden and clump at the bottom of the tube. This permitted our control group to be invalid.
Another flaw was that the measurements of the ingredients were not as precise as they should
have been. The data could have been incorrect because of an imprecise measurement. For
instance, after the balloons were securely attached to the test tubes, no one timed the balloons to
see how long it took them to fill up.
In addition, there were no measuring tools used to determine which balloon was the
largest. This is one of the most important steps in the experiment, and it was ignored. There was
no measuring done after the ingredients were mixed. The results were based on qualitative
observations rather than quantitative observations. For all future labs there will be accurate
measuring with tools to provide the most precise results. This should be something that occurs in
every lab and it was It is now known that to get the most accurate results the measurements must
be exact. It was also learned that you should come into the lab with a plan already intact, so you
use your time efficiently. Because of the lack of preparation and readiness, the results were not
as clear as they would have been with more planning and a more reliable plan. Although the
hypothesis was rejected by the data collected, this experiment not only taught us about yeast but
also left us with an idea of what planning is needed prior to performing an experiment.

DATA TABLE
Independen
t Variables:

Sugar
(Control)

Tomato
Juice

Orange
Juice

Butter

Honey

Molasses

Frosted
Flakes

Day One

Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced
Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced

Filled up
the most
and the
quickest

Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced
Filled up
the
fastest,
slightly
larger
than the
molasses
balloon

Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced
Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced

Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced
Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced

Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced
Filled up
slightly
slower
than
tomato
juice and
slightly
smaller

Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced
Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced

Size and
Speed
of
Which
the
Balloon
s Filled
Up

Day Two

Little to
no
carbon
dioxide
was
produced

DAY TWO PICTURES AND EXPLANATIONS:

As you can see, the yellow balloon (orange juice) filled up faster than the orange balloon
2 (molasses). In the first picture the yellow balloon is filled up quite large, while the orange
balloon 2 is not standing up quite yet. In the second picture, it can be seen clearly that the orange
balloon two is filled up fairly big as well. These pictures were taken within minutes of each
other.

PHOTOS

This is Zach mixing the ingredients in a test tube.

This was the control (sugar). As you can see, the sugar clumped and adhered to
the bottom of the test tube, which affected the results.

These were the test tubes from day one. The results were almost inconclusive
because of the incorrect procedures the group performed.