Comparing the Effect of Sugars and Sweeteners on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Growth
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Microbiology
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Yeast, a eukaryotic fungi, is often used in baking and cooking as a food additive. Yeast is primarily used to convert sugar into carbon dioxide and ethanol (alcohol) via fermentation. While the uses and function of yeast have been known for thousands of years, artificial sweeteners were not fully developed until the early 20th century. Artificial sweeteners, work as a sugar substitute for reasons such as lowering calorie count and for people with medical conditions such as diabetes. These substitutes differ significantly from sugars and how they affect yeast’s growth has little research surrounding it. The purpose of this study was to compare the growth of yeast in a maltose medium to the growth of yeast in the presence of artificial sweeteners, erythritol, and sucralose. Additionally, it was hypothesized that maltose would be the best medium for yeast growth. A 0.2 M solution of each medium was made and incubated with yeast for 24 hours, and the concentration of cells was measured using spectrophotometry. The data could not be gathered due to unforeseen circumstances and human error such as the yeast dying. The yeast dying made it impossible to gather specific statistics on the sample. However, based on visual approximation the maltose solution was the most efficient at allowing the yeast to grow.
Recommended Citation
Del Valle, Adrian, "Comparing the Effect of Sugars and Sweeteners on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Growth" (2025). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 97.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2025/all/97
Location
PENNY 311
Start Date
4-5-2025 10:00 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
Comparing the Effect of Sugars and Sweeteners on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Growth
PENNY 311
Yeast, a eukaryotic fungi, is often used in baking and cooking as a food additive. Yeast is primarily used to convert sugar into carbon dioxide and ethanol (alcohol) via fermentation. While the uses and function of yeast have been known for thousands of years, artificial sweeteners were not fully developed until the early 20th century. Artificial sweeteners, work as a sugar substitute for reasons such as lowering calorie count and for people with medical conditions such as diabetes. These substitutes differ significantly from sugars and how they affect yeast’s growth has little research surrounding it. The purpose of this study was to compare the growth of yeast in a maltose medium to the growth of yeast in the presence of artificial sweeteners, erythritol, and sucralose. Additionally, it was hypothesized that maltose would be the best medium for yeast growth. A 0.2 M solution of each medium was made and incubated with yeast for 24 hours, and the concentration of cells was measured using spectrophotometry. The data could not be gathered due to unforeseen circumstances and human error such as the yeast dying. The yeast dying made it impossible to gather specific statistics on the sample. However, based on visual approximation the maltose solution was the most efficient at allowing the yeast to grow.
