FERMENTATION

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 INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENT .............................................................................................................................. 3

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 4

FUNGI ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

IMPORTANCE OF FUNGI FOR HUMAN USE ......................................................................................... 11

EDIBLE AND POISONOUS FUNGI .......................................................................................................... 12

TYPES OF FUNGI ................................................................................................................................... 12

HISTORY OF YEAST ............................................................................................................................... 17

YEAST .................................................................................................................................................... 18

BIOREMEDIATION ................................................................................................................................ 19

PATHOGENIC YEAST ............................................................................................................................ 20

TYPES OF YEAST .................................................................................................................................... 21

FERMENTATION.................................................................................................................................... 23

ADVANTAGES OF FERMENTING ........................................................................................................... 24

EXPERIMENT ......................................................................................................................................... 25

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................ 29

BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................................................... 30

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Principal, Mrs.

Geetha Jayachandran, and the Vice Principal, Mrs. Meenakshi
Vaidyanathan, for giving me this opportunity to carry out the
experiments.

I would like to render my unwavering gratitude to my physics

teacher, Mrs. Revathi, for constantly encouraging me to carry out
these experiments and giving me all the inputs required.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my parents for

always supporting me and to my friends for supporting me
throughout the experiment.

I would also like to thank all the Lab Assistants for helping me in
every step of the process.

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 INTRODUCTION

MICROORGANISM:
A microorganism, or microbe, is a
microscopic organism, which may
exist in its single-celled form or in a
colony of cells. Microscopic
organisms are found all around us
and even inside our bodies.
Microorganisms are the main
sources of enzymes, the efficient
and specific biocatalysts, which are applied in different industrial
sectors, such as food, animal feed, personal care, detergents, textile
and paper, biofuels, and others.

The classification is broad and

includes both microorganisms
that are capable of replication
outside of any host and those
that require a host to survive.
They range in size from less
than 100 nm to almost a
millimeter. The further
classification of microorganisms can be rooted in a number of
different frameworks but with the advent of DNA sequencing, a
common framework has evolved to allow for relationships to be built
across all of these different microorganisms.

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TYPES OF MICROORGANISMS :
 Bacteria
 Fungi
 Protozoa
 Algae
 Viruses
 Viroids
 Prions
 Archaea

BACTERIA:
Bacteria are unicellular organisms.
The cells are described as
prokaryotic because they lack a
nucleus. They exist in four major
shapes: bacillus, coccus, spirilla, and vibrio. Most bacteria have a
peptidoglycan cell wall; they divide by binary fission, and they may
possess flagella for motility. The difference in their cell wall structure
is a major feature used in classifying these organisms.

According to the way their cell wall

structure stains, bacteria can be
classified as either Gram-positive or
Gram-negative when using the Gram
staining. Bacteria can be further
divided based on their response to
gaseous oxygen into the following
groups: aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative anaerobes. Bacteria
multiply by a process called binary fission.

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FUNGI:
Fungi are eukaryotic cells. Most fungi are
multicellular and their cell wall is composed
of chitin. They obtain nutrients by absorbing
organic material from their environment,
through symbiotic relationships with plants,
or harmful relationships with a host. They
form characteristic filamentous tubes called
hyphae that help absorb the material. The
collection of hyphae is called mycelium.
Fungi reproduce by releasing spores.

PROTOZOA:
They are unicellular aerobic
eukaryotes. They have a nucleus,
complex organelles, and obtain
nourishment by absorption or
ingestion through specialized
structures up to the largest group of
organisms in the world in terms of
numbers, biomass, and diversity.
Their cell walls are made up of cellulose. Protozoa have been
traditionally divided based on their mode of locomotion. They also
have different means of nutrition, which groups them as autotrophs
or heterotrophs.

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ALGAE:
Algae also called cyanobacteria or blue-green
algae, are unicellular or multicellular
eukaryotes that obtain nourishment by
photosynthesis. They live in water, damp soil,
and rocks and produce oxygen and
carbohydrates used by other organisms. It is
believed that cyanobacteria are the origins of
green land plants.

VIRUSES:
Viruses are noncellular entities that
consist of a nucleic acid core (DNA or
RNA) surrounded by a protein coat.
Although viruses are classified as
microorganisms, they are not
considered living organisms. Viruses
cannot reproduce outside a host cell
and cannot metabolize on their own.
Viruses often infest prokaryotic and
eukaryotic cells causing diseases.

VIROIDS:
They are the smallest infectious pathogens.
They are composed solely of a short strand of
circular, single-stranded RNA that has no
protein coating. All known viroids are inhabitants of higher plants, in
which most cause diseases, ranging in economic importance.
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PRIONS:
Prions are misfolded proteins
with the ability to transmit their
misfolded shape onto normal
variants of the same protein.
They characterize several fatal
and transmissible
neurodegenerative diseases in
humans and many other
animals. It is not known what causes the normal protein to misfold;
the abnormal three-dimensional structure is suspected of conferring
infectious properties, collapsing nearby protein molecules into the
same shape.

ARCHAEA:
Archaea or Archaebacteria differ from true
bacteria in their cell wall structure and lack
peptidoglycans. They are prokaryotic cells
with avidity to extreme environmental
conditions. Based on their habitat, all
Archaeans can be divided into the following
groups: methanogens, halophiles,
thermophiles, and psychrophiles.
Archaeans use different energy sources like
hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide, and sulphur. Some of them use
sunlight to make energy, but not the same way plants do. They
absorb sunlight using their membrane pigment, bacteriorhodopsin.
This reacts with light, leading to the formation of the energy
molecule adenosine triphosphate.

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 FUNGI

Fungi is the plural word for "fungus". A fungus is a eukaryotic

organism. The study of fungi is called mycology. All fungi are
heterotrophs. This means that they get their energy by eating
organic substances. Although fungi have much more in common with
animals than plants, mycology is often seen as a branch of botany.

144,000 known species of

organisms of the kingdom
Fungi, which includes the
yeasts, rusts, smuts, mildews,
molds, and mushrooms. There
are also many fungi like
organisms, including slime
molds and oomycetes that do
not belong to kingdom Fungi but are often called fungi. Many of
these fungi like organisms are included in the kingdom Chromista.
Many fungi are free-living in soil or water; others form parasitic or
symbiotic relationships with plants or animals.

Most fungi are large enough to be seen with the eye. However, some
are microscopic organisms and the
study of microscopic fungi is
encompassed by the field of
microbiology. Some microscopic
fungi, like, yeast, are used in the food
and drink industry to produce bread,
beer, and wine. Other fungi are
important in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and
are used in the production of antibiotics and various enzymes.

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Some fungi are being used as probiotics. Saccharomyces boulardii, a
species of yeast has been described as a biotherapeutic agent and
the yeast has been used in clinical trials for the prevention and the
treatment of intestinal infections and inflammatory bowel disease.

Some species of fungi are pathogenic to animals and plants.

Medically important pathogenic fungi include Candida albicans,
Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptococcus neoformans.

Fungi are extremely important to the ecosystem because they are

one of the major decomposers of organic material. Decomposing
organic material is how fungi acquire energy. But fungi have other
roles in addition to being decomposers. They are used to help
prepare food and beverages, and they have many other uses.

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 IMPORTANCE OF FUNGI FOR HUMAN USE

• Yeasts are crucial for the fermentation process that makes

beer, wine, and bread. Fermentation occurs in the absence
of oxygen and allows the first step of cellular respiration,
glycolysis, to continue.
• Some fungi are used in the production of soy sauce and
tempeh, a source of protein used in Southeast Asia.
• Fungi can produce antibiotics, such as penicillin. Antibiotics
are important medicines that kill bacteria, and penicillin was
the first identified cure against many deadly bacterial
species. Antibiotics only treat bacterial diseases; they can
not be used to treat viral or fungal diseases.
• Mushrooms are fungi that are eaten by people all over the
globe.
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a single-celled fungus called
brewer's or baker's yeast, is used in the baking of bread and
in making wine and beer through fermentation.

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 EDIBLE AND POISONOUS FUNGI
• Some of the best-known types of fungi are mushrooms,
which can be edible or poisonous. Many species are grown
commercially, but others are harvested from the wild.
• Agaricus bisporus, known as white or button mushrooms, is
the most commonly eaten species of mushroom.
• For certain types of cheeses, producers add fungal spores to
milk curds to promote the growth of mold, which makes the
cheese blue. Molds used in cheese production are safe for
humans to eat. These fungi are cultures of the mold
Penicillium.

TYPES OF FUNGI

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There are five phyla of fungi:

• Chytridiomycota
• Zygomycota
• Glomeromycota
• Ascomycota
• Basidiomycota

Chytridiomycota
Chytrids, the organisms found in Chytridiomycota, are usually
aquatic and microscopic. They are
asexual and produce mobile spore
that uses flagella. The chytrid
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
can cause a fungal infection in frogs
by burrowing under their skin, and
it has devastated populations of
harlequin frogs, killing off two-
thirds of them in Central and South America.

Zygomycota
Zygomycetes are terrestrial and feed
off of plant detritus or decaying animal
material. They cause problems by
growing on human food sources. For
example Rhizopus stolonifer, a bread
mold. The hyphae of zygomycetes are
not separated by septa, making their mycelia one large cell with
many nuclei. They reproduce asexually, through spores.

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Glomeromycota
The makeup half of all fungi found in soil,
and form mycorrhizae with plants; in fact,
80-90 percent of all land plants develop
mycorrhizae with glomeromycetes. The
fungi obtain sugars from the plant, and in
return, dissolve minerals in the soil to
provide the plant with nutrients. These fungi
reproduce asexually.

Ascomycota
Ascomycetes are often pathogens of
plants and animals, including humans, in
which they are responsible for and
sometimes even death. However, some
ascomycetes normally are found inside
humans, such as Candida albicans, a
yeast which lives in the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and female
reproductive tracts. Ascomycetes have reproductive sacs known as
asci, which produce sexual spores, but they also reproduce asexually.

Basidiomycota
These produce sexual spores called
basidiospores in cells called basidia. Basidia
are usually club-shaped and are also known
as club fungi. Most basidiomycetes
reproduce sexually. For ex: Mushrooms.

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 DISEASES CAUSED BY FUNGI

Some common diseases are :

 Fungal nail infections
 Ringworm
 Vaginal candidiasis
 Candida infections of the mouth, throat, and esophagus

Some fungal diseases that are area restricted:

 Blastomycosis
 Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever)
 Cryptococcus gattii infection
 Histoplasmosis
 Paracoccidioidomycosis

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Diseases that affect people with weakened immune systems:

 Aspergillosis
 Candidiasis
 Candida auris infection
 Cryptococcus neoformans infection
 Invasive candidiasis
 Mucormycosis
 Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)
 Talaromycosis

Other diseases and health problems caused:

 Fungal eye infections

 Mycetoma
 Sporotrichosis

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HISTORY OF YEAST
Yeasts can be considered man’s oldest
industrial microorganism. Hieroglyphics
suggest that that ancient Egyptians were
using yeast and the process of
fermentation to produce alcoholic
beverages and to leaven bread over
5,000 years ago. The biochemical
process of fermentation that is
responsible for these actions was not
understood and undoubtedly looked
upon by early man as a mysterious and
even magical phenomenon. It was not until the invention of the
microscope followed by the pioneering scientific work of Louis
Pasteur in the late 1860s that yeast was identified as a living
organism and the agent responsible for alcoholic fermentation and
dough leavening.

Shortly following these discoveries, it

became possible to isolate yeast in pure
culture form. With this new-found
knowledge that yeast was a living organism
and the ability to isolate yeast strains in
pure culture form, the stage was set for
commercial production of baker’s yeast that
began around the turn of the 20th century.
Since that time, bakers, scientists, and yeast
manufacturers have been working to find
and produce pure strains of yeast that meet the exacting and
specialized needs of the baking industry.
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YEAST
Yeasts are eukaryotic single-celled
microorganisms classified as members
of the fungus kingdom. Most yeasts
reproduce asexually by mitosis, and
many do so by the asymmetric
division process known as budding.
Individual yeast cells multiply rapidly
by the process of budding, in which a
new cell begins as a small bulge along
the cell wall of a parent cell. In the
presence of an abundant food source,
huge populations of yeast cells gather. The cells often appear as long
chains with newly formed cells still attached to their parent cells, due
to the short budding time of two hours.

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Fungi

Scientific Name:Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Yeasts are chemoorganotrophs, as they use

organic compounds as a source of energy
and do not require sunlight to grow. Yeast
species either require oxygen for aerobic
cellular respiration or are anaerobic, but
also have aerobic methods of energy
production. Yeasts grow best in a neutral or
slightly acidic pH environment.When yeast decomposes organic
matter, several useful chemical reactions take place. Yeast consumes
carbohydrates as its food source.

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BIOREMEDIATION

Bioremediation is considered as an alternative processing method to

reduce the environmental pollutants into less toxic forms. It is
defined as the process by which organic or inorganic wastes are
biologically degraded or transformed usually to innocuous materials.
It is also defined as a process where organic wastes are biologically
degraded under controlled conditions to an innocuous state or to
levels below concentration limits established by regulatory
authorities.

Some yeasts can find potential

application in the field of
bioremediation. One such yeast,
Yarrowia lipolytica, is known to degrade
palm oil mill effluent, TNT, and other
hydrocarbons. It can also tolerate high
concentrations of salt and heavy metals
and is being investigated for its
potential as a heavy metal biosorbent.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has

potential to bioremediate toxic
pollutants like arsenic from industrial
effluent. Bronze statues are known
to be degraded by certain species of
yeast. Different yeasts from Brazilian
gold mines bioaccumulate free and
complexed silver ions.

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PATHOGENIC YEAST
Some species of yeast are opportunistic pathogens that can cause
infection in people with compromised immune systems.

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are significant

pathogens of immunocompromised people. They are the species
primarily responsible for cryptococcosis, a fungal disease that occurs
in about one million HIV/AIDS patients, causing over 600,000 deaths
annually. The cells of this yeast are surrounded by a rigid
polysaccharide capsule, which helps to prevent them from being
recognized and engulfed by white blood cells in the human body.

Yeasts of the genus Candida, another group of opportunistic

pathogens, cause oral and vaginal infections in humans, known as
candidiasis. Candida is commonly found as a commensal yeast in the
mucous membranes of humans and other warm-blooded animals.
However, sometimes these same strains can become pathogenic.
The yeast cells sprout a hyphal outgrowth, which locally penetrates
the mucosal membrane, causing irritation and shedding of the
tissues.

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TYPES OF YEAST
Through the selection of strains and development of propagation
techniques, more specific applications of yeast are now being found
in many different industries. The four types of yeast commonly used
for industries are:

 Baker’s Yeast
 Nutritional Yeast
 Brewer’s Yeast
 Distiller’s and Wine Yeast

BAKERS YEAST
Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly
used in baking bread and bakery products, serving as a leavening
agent which causes the bread
to rise, expand, become
lighter and softer, by
converting the fermentable
sugars present in the dough
into carbon dioxide and
ethanol. Baker's yeast is of
the species Saccharomyces
cerevisiae and is the same
species as the kind commonly used in alcoholic fermentation, which
is called brewer's yeast. Baker's yeast is also a single-cell
microorganism found on and around the human body.

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NUTRITIONAL YEAST
Nutritional Yeast is a primary grown
pure culture strain of Saccharomyces
cerevisiae. It is a powdered yeast
without leavening power, marketed for
its protein and vitamin content.it source of protein, rich in many of
the essential amino acids that complement proteins available from
other sources such as corn, wheat, and soy. It contains an average of
50% protein by weight.it is also a rich source of B-complex vitamins
that are important for normal and healthy body functions.

BREWERS YEAST
It is a dried, inactive yeast that has no
fermenting power. It is a by-product of the
brewing industry. it is very high in at least 10
separate B-vitamin factors. After 5-10
succeeding beer fermentation, the yeast, due
to increasing contamination, loses its viability and activity and is no
longer acceptable for making beer. The yeast then becomes surplus
and can be used for the production of food flavors, feed formulations
or as nutritional yeast food.

DISTILLERS AND WINE YEAST

It is used to ferment extremely high gravity
beers, as it generally has a higher alcohol
tolerance than standard beer yeast. There a
variety of different distillers yeast strains,
each of which will provide a different flavor
profile to the finished product.

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FERMENTATION
During such anaerobic conditions,
yeast convert carbohydrates—
starches and sugars—to alcohol and
carbon dioxide gas. This process is
known as fermentation.

Fermentation is a metabolic process

that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the
action of enzymes. Anaerobic respiration involves the breakdown of
carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In yeasts, fermentation
results in the production of ethanol and carbon dioxide.

The fermentation process of yeast is caused by

enzymes, catalysts in chemical reactions similar to
the digestive enzymes in the human body. Certain
enzymes in yeast act on starch to break down the
long chainlike molecules into smaller units of
sugar.

A fermenter is an enclosed and sterilised vessel

that maintains optimal conditions for the growth
of a microorganism. The microorganism
undergoes fermentation to produce large
quantities of a desired metabolite for commercial
use. Product can be collected from a fermenter
after a fixed amount of time or ongoing.

In batch cultivation, the microorganism goes through all the stages of

growth prior to the collection of product. In continuous cultivation,
the microorganism is maintained at a peak rate of growth.

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ADVANTAGES OF FERMENTING
Fermented foods have been associated with several positive health
effects, including improved digestive health, stronger immunity, and
increased availability of beneficial nutrients. Some of these in detail
are:

1. Mental health: A few studies have linked the probiotic strains

Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum to a
reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Both
probiotics are found in fermented foods.
2. Weight loss: While more research is needed, some studies
have found links between certain probiotic strains — including
Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus gasseri — and
weight loss and decreased belly fat.
3. Heart health: Fermented foods have been associated with a
lower risk of heart disease. Probiotics may also modestly
reduce blood pressure and help lower total and “bad” LDL
cholesterol.

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 EXPERIMENT

GROWING YEAST: SUGAR FERMENTATION

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project aims to focus on the optimum conditions required for
yeast to live, reproduce and ferment. It also gives proof to the fact
that one of the byproducts of fermentation is Carbon dioxide.

It will also further clarify that fermentation produces odor and that is
generally characterized by foaming in the vessel yeast is allowed to
ferment.

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AIM:
The purpose of my experiment is to examine the effects of sugar and
warm water on yeast. The project was done to determine if warm
water and sugar cause fermentation in yeast.

MATERIALS:
 3 Clear glass cups
 2 Teaspoons sugar
 Water (warm and cold)
 3 Small dishes
 Permanent marker

PROCEDURE:
 Fill all three dishes with about 2 inches of cold
water
 Place your clear glasses in each dish and label them 1, 2, and 3.
 In glass 1, mix one
teaspoon of yeast, ¼ cup
of warm water, and 2
teaspoons of sugar.
 In glass 2, mix one
teaspoon of yeast with ¼
cup of warm water.
 In glass 3, place one
teaspoon of yeast in the
glass.
 Observe each cups reaction.

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 PICTURES

GLASS 3: ONLY YEAST GLASS 2: YEAST AND WATER

GLASS 1: YEAST, WATER AND SUGAR OBSERVATION OF EXPERIMENT

EVIDENCE THAT CARBON DIOXIDE IS EMITTED EFFERVESENCE IN BOTTLE

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RESULT:
The warm water and sugar in glass 1 caused foaming due to
fermentation.

REASON:
Fermentation is a chemical process of breaking down a particular
substance by bacteria, microorganisms, or in this case, yeast.

The yeast in glass 1 was activated by adding warm water and sugar.
The foaming results from the yeast eating the sucrose. Typically, the
sugar fermentation process gives off heat or gas as a waste product.
In this experiment glass, 1 gave off carbon dioxide as its waste.

Yeast microbes react differently in varying environments. When

yeast is mixed with sugar and cold water, I did not get the same
results. The environment matters, and if the water were too hot, it
would kill the yeast microorganisms.

The yeast alone does not react until sugar and warm water are
added and mixed to create the fermentation process. To further
investigate how carbon dioxide works in this process, I mixed yeast,
warm water, and sugar in a bottle while attaching a balloon to the
open mouth. The balloon expanded as the gas from the yeast
fermentation rose.

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CONCLUSION
Yeast fermentation is useful in human day to day life for many
purposes like that of making bread or puri. The process of
fermentation is characterized by:

 Strong pungent odor

 Brisk effervescence
 Release of carbon dioxide
 Digestion of carbohydrates by yeast (in this case sugar)

Though Fermented foods are rich in beneficial probiotics and have

been associated with a range of health benefits like better digestion
and stronger immunity, it has bad side effects as well.

Due to the high probiotic content of fermented foods, the most

common side effect is an initial and temporary increase in gas and
bloating. These symptoms may be worse after consuming fiber-rich
fermented foods, such as kimchi and sauerkraut. It's also important
to note that not all fermented foods are created equal.

If fermenting at home, make sure to follow recipes closely for safety

purposes. Incorrect temperatures, fermentation times, or unsterile
equipment can cause the food to spoil, making it unsafe to eat.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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www.britannica.com

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.google.com

microbiologyonline.org

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prezi.com

www.researchgate.net

www.grammarly.com

www.morebeer.com

www.lesaffre.com

redstaryeast.com

www.thespruceeats.com

www.scienceclarified.com

ib.bioninja.com.au

www.nature.com

study.com

chemstuff.co.uk

www.khanacademy.org

www.sciencedirect.com

microbiologysociety.org

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