YEAST RESPIRATION LAB

Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to investigate how different food sources affect the rate
of yeast respiration.

Introduction: All living organisms respire or use energy. During respiration, food, usually in the form
of glucose, is “burned.” One of the products is carbon dioxide. The amount of carbon dioxide
released during respiration can be measured to indicate the respiration rate.
In this investigation, you will count and record the number of bubbles of carbon dioxide gas
given off by respiring yeast cells when exposed to different food sources. The different food sources
will be apple juice, grape juice, Pepsi and diet Pepsi.

Hypothesis:

Procedure:
1. Obtain a warm water bath by removing a plastic tub of warm water from one of the sinks around
the room if this has not been done. If your class is using the large battery jars, do not attempt to
move them from the tables. Use a pitcher to add or remove water to get the water to the right
temperature.
2. Determine who will measure the respiration rates for each food source.
The sources are color coded as follows:
red = apple juice blue = grape juice pink = Pepsi white or gray = diet Pepsi
Be sure to use the beakers and syringes that are coded with the color of the food item you are
using!
3. Using the correct color coded syringe, add 6 ml of the food source you are assigned to a test tube.
4. Then add a small ball of yeast to your tube.
5. Use the wooden stirrer (coded with your color) to mix up the yeast and the food source
thoroughly.
6. Firmly but GENTLY insert a one-holed rubber stopper into the test tube (BE CAREFUL NOT TO
PUSH IT IN TOO FAR!)
7. Place a metal test tube holder near the bottom of the tube to act as a weight and anchor for your
tube when placed in the water bath.
8. Check the temperature of the water bath [If the temperature is lower than 35 0 Celsius, add some
warm water to get the temperature between 35 and 40 degrees.] Record the temperature here:

9. When all members of your group have prepared their test tubes, place all four tubes into the bath
at the same time.
BE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH TEST TUBE YOU ARE OBSERVING!
10. Wait 10 minutes. You can use this time to get started on your CER at the end of this lab.
11. After 10 minutes, return to your lab experiment. Measure and record the temperature of the
water bath. Record the temperature here:

12. When all partners are ready, start your stop watch and observe and count the number of bubbles
released from EACH tube for 5 minutes.
13. Record your GROUP results in the data table provided. Add your GROUP data to the CLASS
RESULTS on the board (or shared in GoogleSheets) and copy the class averages into your data
table below.
14. Rinse and wash out your test tubes and return them to the test tube rack (inverted). Make sure
your area is clean and all materials are ready for the next group.

PRE-LAB
15. Write a scientific problem (question) that describes this lab experiment.

16. Identify the variables for this experiment:

Independent Variable:

Dependent Variable:

17. How did you measure the rate of respiration? Why is this an accurate/effective measurement of
respiration?

4. Make a hypothesis for this lab (make sure your specific on which food will have the highest rate of
cellular respiration and why)
DATA:
THE EFFECT OF THE FOOD SOURCE ON THE RATE OF YEAST RESPIRATION
AMOUNT OF CO2 (bubbles) RELEASED OVER 5 MIN.
FOOD SOURCE 1 min. 2 min. 3 min. 4 min. 5 min. TOTAL CLASS AVG.
Grape Juice

Apple Juice

Regular Pepsi

Diet Pepsi

ANALYSIS:

1. Create a graph of the effect of different food sources on the respiration rate of yeast over 5
minutes using YOUR group’s data. You may digitally generate the graph with software such as
Excel, or Google Sheets or kidzone Graphing to graph the results. . When you are
constructing your graph, plot the total bubbles of CO2 produced by each food source from the
start until each minute (not the difference between minutes 1-2 or 2-3, but rather 0-1, 0-2, 0-
3,etc.). Make sure your graph has axes labels, units, and a title. Take a screenshot of your
graph and insert it HERE:

2. Did you accept or reject your hypothesis? Why?

3. How was the rate of respiration influenced by the food sources? (Were they all the same?
Which source encourages yeast respiration? Which source discourages yeast respiration?)

4. What characteristics of the food sources may have caused varying yeast respiratory rates
(think about the reactants)? Is there background information (on the food sources) that may
help to predict respiratory rates? Talk with your teacher to see if it’s available.
 5. Identify all of the products made by yeast respiration.

6. Using what you learned in this experiment, explain the role that yeast plays in baking bread.
What is its role/function? How does it work? Be as detailed as possible in applying your new
knowledge.

7. Using your knowledge of cellular respiration, explain in thorough detail why athletes are often
told to carbo-load/eat pasta before important sporting events.

CER Write Up Instructions:

You will complete a CER for the demonstration on the rates of cellular respiration and “food” sources.
● The ‘C’ stands for claim (your statement describing the relationship between food sources and
rate of cellular respiration).
● The ‘E’ stands for evidence (this would be your data from this lab, including a GRAPH and
proper data table information cited clearly).
● The ‘R’ stands for reasoning (this includes you analyzing your data lab and relating it to
content we learned in class – what does it mean? USE YOUR NOTES).

Use the rubric provided below to guide you in your lab write up. You may take pictures/screenshots
of your actual test tubes to include in the evidence section, along with any data tables or graphs
made during labs (Graphs MUST be included in evidence). Once you are done with the write up,
please make sure that you SUBMIT it in Schoology as a PDF or Google Doc.

Use the table provided to write up your CER (crossing off bullet points as well as referring to the
rubric -- Ms. Boget will use both as a grading guide).
 Problem: How does the rate of cellular respiration vary for different food sources.

Claim:

Write a statement that responds

to the question.
● Does the claim answer
the question?
● The claim should only
answer the question.
Does the claim include an
explanation or reasoning?
● Is it more than a “Yes” or
“No” answer?
● Is the claim written in
complete sentences?
Evidence:

Provide scientific data to support

your claim. Your evidence should
be appropriate (relevant) and
sufficient (enough to convince
someone that your claim is
correct). Feel free to use bullet
points instead of sentences.
● Is each piece of evidence
relevant to the claim?
● Is a properly labeled data
table and graph included?
● Graphing Website
● Is there qualitative data
(not numbers) included?
● Is there enough evidence
listed to support the
claim?
● The evidence should lack
an explanation or
reasoning. Is each piece
of evidence strictly an
observation or data from
the lab?
● Is the evidence listed
specific and not vague or
a generalization?

Reasoning

Use scientific principles and

knowledge that you have about
why your evidence (data)
supports your claim. In other
words, explain how your data
proves your point. Use
information you know and that
we have learned about (NOTES)
(Paragraph format)
Need help? Click here.

● Is there a justification of
how each piece of
evidence supports the
claim?
● The reasoning should not
simply repeat the
evidence. Is there a link
between the evidence
and claim provided?
● Is the science principle
explained why the
evidence supports the
claim?
● Is the reasoning written in
complete sentences?

4 – Exceeding 3 – Meeting 2 – Approaching 1 - Developing

CATEGORY
Expectations Expectations Expectations
Meets the criteria
listed for a “3”
Claim includes:
--AND-- Claim is structured
Claim -A clear answer Claim lacks structure
Includes an engaging properly but does
based on the or does not answer
hook that relates the not answer the
4 points prompt given. the question.
claim to a scientific question.
principle that we
have learned about.
Evidence Meets the criteria Evidence includes: Evidence lacks 1 Evidence lacks 2
listed for a “3”. Evidence is component. components.
4 points present, is clearly
--AND— labeled and
presentation of
 evidence may
Meets all of the include graphs, data
criteria from the tables or lists.
bulleted list.

Reasoning includes:
-Clearly and
Meets the criteria logically explains
listed for a “3” AND how and why the
one of the following: evidence supports or
Reasoning is
does not support the
incomplete or
-Relates findings claim.
Reasoning underdeveloped or Missing scientific
back to the “real -Accurate and
includes scientific link or lacks clarity
world” application appropriate
8 points evidence that does and logic.
from the claim scientific vocabulary
not directly link to
--OR— and explanations.
the data
-Meets all criteria -Includes any
from the bulleted possible sources of
list. error and their
possible effects on
the results
Meets the criteria
References include:
listed for a “3”
-References are
--AND—
listed clearly cited References are
References Includes relevant
from notes and lab present, but not References are
information using a
materials listed in the difficult to confirm.
2 point source not obtained
-References include appropriate format.
in class such as a
lab handouts
journal or scientific
article.
Self-Evaluation _____/2 pts Total ______/20 points