Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello,
I have conducted a science fair experiment which is similar to one on this website. I am fermenting dry active yeast using table sugar and artifical ones. In a few of my practice trials I have seen that in short periods of times, the subsitutes tend to work better than the table sugar. I am just wondering if anyone else has conducted this science experiment and has results they are able to share with me.
Thank you!
~Ashley grade 10

Hi Ashley,

I noticed that no one has replied to your post so I thought I would try to help. Are you doing the Scibuddies project Yeast Reproduction in Sugar Substitutes (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... #materials) ?

I haven’t done this experiment myself but I know about it. Did you test the sugar substitutes that were suggested in the Materials? Look on the labels of the sweeteners that you used for the ingredients and see whether they contain dextrose (glucose). If so, then the yeast can use it to make CO2. The sucrose in table sugar has to be broken down by the yeast enzymes to glucose and fructose but the glucose that is added to some artificial sweeteners can be used by the yeast directly.

I did a search for whether yeast can metabolize the different sweeteners and you can do that too. I found, for example, that yeast can use aspartame (NutraSweet) but not saccharine (Sweet ‘n Low): http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... XY&cad=rja

Let me know if you have more questions and by the way, you should have posted your question on the Life Sciences forum, not Physical Sciences.

Good luck!

Sybee

Thank you for your help but I have found some research saying that they're differences in the experiment because of the composition of the sugars. For example i shouldn't be using sucrose but glucose because sucrose is more complex sugar like the subsitutes. I was just confused because the experiment on this sight didn't have results.
And thank you, this webite is really confusing to me and I really didn't know how to even post a question and somehow i did something.
~Ashley