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Sincerely, WhyGirlRefined Sugar, Unrefined Sugar, and Yeast
Moderators: AmyCowen, kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators
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knjcelticsgrl
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:43 pm
- Occupation: Student: 8th grade
- Project Question: Will the type of sugar used affect the amount of carbon dioxide produced during yeast metabolism?
- Project Due Date: January 31, 2011
- Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data
Refined Sugar, Unrefined Sugar, and Yeast
Why does unrefined (turbinado cane) sugar produce more carbon dioxide when mixed with yeast and warm water than refined (white, granulated) sugar? I did a science experiment involving this topic and when it was proved that the unrefined sugar really did produce more carbon dioxide in yeast metabolism, I wondered why. The problem is, I can't seem to find any resources that explain why this happened. Thank you for your help in advance! Also, what do science fair judges especially look for in projects? Sincerely, WhyGirl
Sincerely, WhyGirl-
donnahardy2
- Former Expert
- Posts: 2671
- Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:45 pm
Re: Refined Sugar, Unrefined Sugar, and Yeast
Hi,
What a great project! Your results are very interesting. The information about the difference in the composition of the sugars was elusive, but I finally found a website that lists the detailed analysis for turbinado sugar:
Every 100 grams of turbinado sugar contains 100 mg of potassium; 85 mg of calcium; 23 mg of magnesium; 3.9 mg of phosphorus; and 1.3 mg of iron. The total mineral salt content is 740 mg. A single teaspoon of turbinado sugar contains 20 calories, of which just 5 grams are complex carbohydrates.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/25364 ... z1By9WNFZU
So the difference in composition between regular sugar and turbinado sugar is the additional minerals. The potassium and calcium would be used in the cell walls of the yeast; the magnesium, phosphorus, and iron are used in energy metabolism. So it makes sense if any of the micronutrients were limiting the growth of the yeast, then the turbinado sugar would support better growth and more carbon dioxide production compared to white sugar.
What was the difference in carbon dioxide production? Did you use the same quantity (weight or volume) of both sugars? Were all other parameters controlled, except the type of sugar? Did you repeat your results?
Donna Hardy
What a great project! Your results are very interesting. The information about the difference in the composition of the sugars was elusive, but I finally found a website that lists the detailed analysis for turbinado sugar:
Every 100 grams of turbinado sugar contains 100 mg of potassium; 85 mg of calcium; 23 mg of magnesium; 3.9 mg of phosphorus; and 1.3 mg of iron. The total mineral salt content is 740 mg. A single teaspoon of turbinado sugar contains 20 calories, of which just 5 grams are complex carbohydrates.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/25364 ... z1By9WNFZU
So the difference in composition between regular sugar and turbinado sugar is the additional minerals. The potassium and calcium would be used in the cell walls of the yeast; the magnesium, phosphorus, and iron are used in energy metabolism. So it makes sense if any of the micronutrients were limiting the growth of the yeast, then the turbinado sugar would support better growth and more carbon dioxide production compared to white sugar.
What was the difference in carbon dioxide production? Did you use the same quantity (weight or volume) of both sugars? Were all other parameters controlled, except the type of sugar? Did you repeat your results?
Donna Hardy