CENTRE OF FOUNDATION STUDIES

BIOLOGY MINI PROJECT REPORT

EXPERIMENT TITLE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUGAR ON YEAST

RESPIRATION

GROUP PI080S36 GROUP 4

STUDENT’S NAME / ID (1) MUHAMMAD SUFI BIN MD KAMARUARIFIN (2021214738)

(2) MUHAMMAD AQIL BIN BANG NAMIN

(2021493316)

(3) PUTRI ANIS SOFIA BINTI MOHAMAD ZAIDI (2021845372)

(4) IRDINA SOFEA BINTI MOHAMMAD IMMANUDDIN

(2021688086)

(5) NURELYYANA BINTI SABAN (2021200136)

(6) NURAIN NATASYA BINTI NORAZNI (2021608624)

DATE OF 13 OCTOBER 2021

EXPERIMENT

LAB INSTRUCTOR PUAN NORLIZAYATI BINTI RAMLAN

ABSTRACT

In this report, we will focus on cellular respiration that occurs in every living cell whether
it is aerobic respiration in the presence of oxygen or anaerobic respiration which has no presence
of oxygen. But, our primary focus in this report is the effect of different types of sugar on yeast
respiration. Overall purpose of this study is to determine the rate of yeast respiration on three
different types of sugar which is white sugar, brown sugar and stevia sugar. The basic method
1
that we used was we put three different sugar on different bottle and 4
cups of warm water were

added and we stirred them until sugar dissolves. Three teaspoons of yeast were put into each
bottle. We also wrapped the tip of the bottle with a balloon in order to compare which sugar
produced the most carbon dioxide by measuring the circumference of the balloon. The more
carbon dioxide produced means that the sugar contains more glucose. We found that different
sugars will have different circumferences of the widest part of the balloon. White sugar has the
highest circumference compared to brown sugar and stevia sugar. From this result, we can
conclude that white sugar contains more glucose that will produce carbon dioxide by anaerobic
respirations that undergo by the yeast compared to brown sugar and stevia sugar. So, we should
minimize the sugar intake of white sugar by replacing it with stevia sugar since it contains steviol
glycoside that will obtain zero calories when we consume it.
INTRODUCTION

Cellular respiration, the process by which organisms combine oxygen with food molecules,
diverting the chemical energy in these substances into life-sustaining activities and discarding, as
waste products, carbon dioxide and water. ( Britannica, T. 13 March 2020) . Energy from
respiration process is made from the slow combustion of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
through which the chemical energy in food is captured in ATP (adenosine triphosphate) or
released as heat (Shutt and McBride 2013). Carbon dioxide are formed via pyruvate oxidation
and Krebs’s Cycle process while water molecules are formed in oxidative phosphorylation
process by combination of hydrogen ions and oxygen molecules. Different types of sugar affect
the cellular respiration of yeast differently. The rate of yeast cellular respiration is highest when
white sugar is used. The objective of this experiment is to investigate the effect of different types
of sugar on yeast respiration.
MATERIALS

WHITE SUGAR BROWN SUGAR

YEAST
STEVIA SUGAR

500ML BOTTLE SPOON

1
BALLOONS CUP MEASURING CUP
4

RULER THREAD
METHODS

1. Three empty 500ml bottles were prepared

2. The bottles were labeled as white Sugar, Brown Sugar, and Stevia Sugar.
3. A teaspoon of each type of sugar as labeled on the bottles was put into the bottles.
1
4. 4
cups of warm water were poured using the measuring cup into each of the three

bottles. The solutions were stirred with a chopstick until all the sugars were dissolved
5. Three teaspoons of yeast were put into each bottle. The solutions were stirred with a
chopstick.
6. The tip of each bottle was wrapped with a balloon. We made sure that the balloons do not
have any air in them.
7. The bottles were left for 20 minutes.
8. The circumference of the widest part of the balloons on each bottle was measured using
thread and ruler.
9. Observations were recorded in a table.
RESULTS

TYPE OF INITIAL BALLOON BALLOON CIRCUMFERENCE

YEAST CONDITION CONDITION AFTER OF THE WIDEST
SOLUTION 20 MINUTES PART OF THE
BALLOON AFTER 20
MINUTES

WHITE SUGAR
+
WATER 16.5 CM
+
YEAST

BROWN SUGAR
+
WATER 16.1 CM
+
YEAST

STEVIA SUGAR
+
WATER BALLOON DOESN’T
EXPAND
+
YEAST
RESULT ANALYSIS
DISCUSSION

Cellular respiration is a process where living organisms combine oxygen and glucose to produce
energy, carbon dioxide, and water (Kara Rogers, 2020). Yeast is a eukaryotic organism ( Melissa
Petruzzello, 2020) that needs glucose and oxygen for cellular respiration. In the presence of
yeast, sugar is metabolised anaerobically (without oxygen), converting the sugar to alcohol and
carbon dioxide (Sabena Bhadri, 2016). The more sugar there is, the more active the yeast will be
and the faster its growth. The sugar samples used (white sugar and brown sugar) contain sucrose
( John Hewitson and Charles Hill, 2021). Sugar needs to be converted into glucose in order to
feed into respiration and it is this process that produces the gas (SAPS UK 2016). Yeast produces
enzymes that break down sugars to release glucose, like in the human body, and then uses it as
energy to anaerobically respire (ferment).

The circumference of the widest part of the balloon after 20 minutes for white sugar is the widest
compared to brown sugar and stevia. This is because white sugar contains a high amount of
sucrose that later is converted into glucose and fructose. In other words, white sugar contains the
highest amount of glucose used for yeast respiration. The refining process completely removes
the molasses to give the white sugar, sucrose. It has a purity higher than 99.7%. Meanwhile,
brown sugar contains at least 88% of sucrose plus inverted sugar (Wikipedia 2021). Thus, the
rate of yeast respiration in the presence of white sugar is higher than brown sugar.

For Stevia sugar, it is observed that the balloon does not expand when it is mixed with yeast.
This is because Stevia sugar contains steviol glycoside, which is 10-15 times sweeter than
sucrose but the human body does not metabolize these sweet glycosides so we will obtain zero
calories when consuming it ( A. Das and R. Chakraborty, 2016). So no cellular respiration that
occurs because the yeast will not be activated thus no carbon dioxide can be produced.
CONCLUSION

In comparison to brown sugar and stevia sugar, white sugar contains more glucose, which will
produce the most carbon dioxide through anaerobic respiration by yeast. As a result, we should
reduce our sugar intake by substituting it with stevia sugar, which includes steviol glycoside and
provides zero calories when consumed.

REFERENCES

1. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, March 13). cellular respiration.

Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/cellular-respiration
2. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, May 13). yeast. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/yeast-fungus
3. Chakraborty, R., & Das, A. (2016). Sweeteners: Classification, Sensory and Health
Effects. ScienceDirect.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123849472006772
4. Geoffrey E. Hill, Cellular Respiration: The Nexus of Stress, Condition, and
Ornamentation, Integrative and Comparative Biology, Volume 54, Issue 4, October 2014,
Pages 645–657, https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icu029