Alcoholic Fermentation And Cellular Respiration

Fermentation, the process that follows cellular respiration, uses a series of redox reactions to produce ATP without the presence of oxygen (anaerobic respiration). This process produces significantly less ATP than aerobic cellular respiration. There are two types of fermentation-lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic fermentation. In this experiment, the main focus will be on alcoholic fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation results in the production of ethanol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide produced is evident in the form of bubbles. This type of fermentation is presented in experiments using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or baker’s yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a form of unicellular fungi commonly used as a protein supplement and immune enhancer (Brewer's/baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and preventive medicine: Part II, 2008). The carbon dioxide produced in alcoholic fermentation is the reason why bread rises. Using fermentation flasks being used in this experiment will allow the amount of carbon dioxide to be easily measured. …show more content…
Two-thirds of the sugars produced in fermentation are oxidized to produce carbon dioxide. (Yeast Fermentation and the Making of Beer and Wine, 2010). When there is a significant amount of carbon dioxide produced, the rate of fermentation is increasing and is continuing to produce around 2 ATP (adenosine triphosphate) per cycle. Ethanol is another product of alcoholic fermentation; however, it is not significant in this experiment. The amount of glucose, yeast, and water per fermentation solution could affect the amount of carbon dioxide produced as