FAKULTI SAINS GUNAAN

UNIVERISITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

CAWANGAN PERAK KAMPUS TAPAH
BIO150 – METABOLISM & CELL DIVISION

SCIENTIFIC LAB REPORT

EXPERIMENT TITLE: FERMENTATION AND YEAST

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 3rd JULY 2020

INTRODUCTION

Fermentation is a metabolic mechanism that generates chemical reactions in organic

compounds through all the enzyme action. In biochemistry, in the absence of oxygen, this is
simply characterized as extracting energy from carbohydrates. Fermentation is exactly
equivalent to the type of breathing that occurs if there is not enough oxygen, i.e. anaerobic
respiration. However, like respiration, which uses pyruvic acid, fermentation contributes to
the formation of numerous organic molecules, such as lactic acid, that also eventually led to
ATP.

Fermentation can occurs when oxygen-using (aerobic) cellular respiration can’t take
place because the oxygen is not around to act as an acceptor at the end of the ETC
(electron transport chain). Fermentation has two types which is alcoholic fermentation and
lactic acid fermentation. These fermentation pathways consist of glycolysis with certain
additional reactions which are tacked at the end. In yeast, the extra reactions produce
alcohol, while they produce lactic acid in the muscle. Fermentation is a widespread method,
but it’s not the only way to anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) get energy from fuels.
Alternatively, some living organisms use an inorganic molecule other than oxygen, such as
sulfate, as the final electron acceptor for an electron transport chain.

Fermentation and cellular respiration begin the same way, with glycolysis. In
fermentation, however, the pyruvate made in glycolysis does not continue through oxidation
and the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain does not run. Because the electron
transport chain is not functional, the NADH made in glycolysis cannot drop its electrons off
there to turn back into NAD+. The purpose of the extra reactions in fermentation, then, is to
regenerate the electron carrier NAD+ from the NADH produced in glycolysis. The extra
reactions accomplish this by letting NADH drop its electrons off with an organic molecule
(such as pyruvate, the end product of glycolysis). This drop-off allows glycolysis to keep
running by ensuring a steady supply of NAD+. [ CITATION Kha20 \l 1033 ]

Yeast can be use in fermentation because it has the enzyme needed to switch
pyruvic acid into ethyl alcohol. This process essential because during glycolysis it extracts
electrons and hydrogen ions from NADH. The purpose is to free the NAD, then it can take
part in future glycolysis reactions. The net contribution of 2 ATP molecules to the yeast cell
helps it to remain alive for some time. However, the alcohol kills the yeast cells when the
concentration of ethyl alcohol exceeds around 15 per cent. Yeast is also used in the
manufacture of alcohol and bread. Fermentation of alcohol is the mechanism that used in
beer, wine, and spirits. The carbon dioxide released throughout fermentation subdtitues the
carbon dioxide produced during the Krebs Cycle process and causes an increase in bread.
Chemical process of making whine.

The chemical process that is needed to make whine is fermentation. In

winemaking, the fermentation process turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. Yeast
turn the sugar presence in the juice to ethanol and also carbon dioxide (as by-product)
during fermentation. Fermentation induces complex chemical reactions that influence the
finished wine’s taste, aroma, and even colour. Fermentation can be conducted in stainless
steel tanks, similar to many white wines such as Riesling, in an open wooden vat, within a
barrel of wine and within the wine bottle itself, as in the production of many sparkling wines.

Wine-making process requires a “fresh yeast culture”.

Fresh yeast is more capable of metabolizing glucose and yielding the amount of the
ethanol needed to ferment the grape juice to the necessary ethanol rates. Yeast that gets
reused ends up evolving to get an unexpected rate of higher ABV (alcohol by volume)
tolerance so that the taste shifts to what it should not be. Besides, with reused yeast, people
will eventually develop an off putting flavor.

The sweet, nutrient-rich must is an ideal medium for growing diverse species of yeast
during the fermentation process. Naturally present yeast may include the
familiar Saccharomyces, found in bread and beer, as well as more exotic genera such
as Candida, Kloeckera, and Hansenula. As a result, the beginning of fermentation involves a
lot of biodiversity, with many different types of yeast competing for resources. If allowed to
ferment, each type of yeast leaves behind its own particular signature of flavor and aroma
compounds. Since not all yeasts are suitable for making wine, many wineries employ sulfites
to suppress the activity of wild yeasts before fermentation, followed by inoculation with a
commercially developed, cultured strain of Saccharomyces yeast. While this usually yields a
predictable fermentation dominated by one particular variety of yeast, it doesn’t leave a lot of
room for the natural microbiological diversity of the vineyard to shine through. [ CITATION
Chr19 \l 1033 ]
Living or non-living yeast used by Stanley?

Staley used the living yeast. If the yeast was a non-living yeast, the sugar
could not be metabolized within the grape juice. In addition, the presence of bubble on top of
the glass which clearly show that the yeast is well-functioning. When active (live) yeast has
entry to sugar and oxygen, it ‘breathes’ through a mechanism called aerobic respiration. The
yeast cells in this reaction use glucose and oxygen to produce energy. They also store
carbon dioxide and water (a gas). It is the same chemical cycle that humans have been
using. The thing regarding to this respiration process is that the yeast cells only do this for
the sake of generating energy. The yeast can only produce energy when they have glucose
(sugar).

 Delayed ensiling without additives decreased lactic acid production but, in one trial,
increased acetic acid and had no effect on ethanol. The effect of delayed sealing on yeast
counts and aerobic stability differed widely among experiments. Air infiltration during
fermentation tested in one trial did not alter lactic acid production, but resulted in more acetic
acid in delayed and more ethanol than in promptly sealed untreated silages. [ CITATION
Wei16 \l 1033 ]

The Different of yeast and bacteria.

The major difference between yeast and bacteria is that yeast is an eukaryote while
bacteria are prokaryotes. Besides that, yeast belong to the Fungi family whereas bacteria
belong to the Monera family. Yeast has membrane-bounds organs but there are no
membrane-bound organelles in the bacteria. For fact, some of the other distinction between
yeast and bacteria cells are that chitin is the main component of the yeast cell wall, while
murein is the main component of the cell wall of bacteria. In fact, yeast has one nucleus per
cell, but there is no nucleus for the bacteria.

Yeast refers to a microscopic fungus, consisting of single oval cell that reproduces
by budding, and converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide in a process called ethanol
fermentation. Generally, yeast is colorless. Though it is a unicellular organism, yeast is a
eukaryote. Therefore, it contains a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Yeast grows
on plants and warm-blooded animals in a symbiotic relationship. A few of them may be
parasitic such as Candida albicans, which causes vaginal yeast infection. One of the most
characteristic features of yeast is its asexual reproduction method known as budding.
Bacteria refer to a member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms, containing a cell
wall but, lacking organelles and an organized nucleus.. [ CITATION Lak18 \l 1033 ]
Why will contaminating bacteria make the wine sour while pure yeast will
not?

To prevent in colonization of bacteria or any other micro-organisms, a pure yeast

culture is necessary. Instead of alcohol, some bacteria may convert pyruvate into acetic
acid. The acid can give the wine a sour taste. If the yeast is pure, then it is not going to
happen. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are essential for many fermented foods including yogurt
and pickles. These were also removed from wines at different vinification stages. They are
responsible for malolactic fermentation (MLF) in wines which in some cases can be
beneficial while in others undesirable. These bacteria, in addition to conduct MLF, can also
cause undesirable changes in wine flavor under certain conditions which make the wine
undrinkable. Many LAB species do not conduct MLF and their growth in wine can cause
severe spoilage of the wine.

LAB, including those involved in MLF, metabolize sugars such as glucose and
fructose, and produce lactic acid and acetic acid. The resulting wine acquires a sour vinegar-
like aroma due to high VA levels. This is a serious spoilage and occurs in must with stuck
fermentation or wines with higher residual sugars (sweet wines). A less serious form of lactic
spoilage can occur in dry wines. In these wines the LAB utilizes pentose sugars, trace
amounts of glucose and fructose, and produces lactic and acetic acid as a by-product. When
sugars are attacked by LAB, lactic and acetic acids are produced. Formation of these acids
increases the titratable acidity and lowers the pH. The decrease in pH restricts the growth of
those organisms. [ CITATION DrM20 \l 1033 ]
Difference between an obligate aerobe, an obligate anaerobe, and
a facultative anaerobe.

Obligate aerobes depend on aerobic respiration and use oxygen as a terminal

electron acceptor. They cannot grow without oxygen. [ CITATION Ope20 \l 1033 ] . Such
species use oxygen by cell respiration to metabolize compounds, such as sugars or fats, to
obtain energy. Oxygen acts as the terminal electron-acceptor for the electron transport chain
in this form of respiration. Obligate anaerobes cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. They
depend on the fermentation and anaerobic respiration using a final electron acceptor other
than oxygen. [ CITATION Ope20 \l 1033 ]. Obligate anaerobe are usually bacteria, which
live naturally in a number of areas. Many obligate anaerobes found in the human body, in
places such as the mouth and gastrointestinal tract where the levels of oxygen are very low.
Facultative anaerobes show better growth in the presence of oxygen but will also grow
without it. [ CITATION Ope20 \l 1033 ]. A facultative anaerobic is an organism that makes
ATP by aerobic respiration when there is oxygen, but is capable of transitioning to
fermentation or anaerobic respiration when there is no oxygen. By contrast, an obligate
aerobic can not create ATP in the absence of oxygen, and require obligate anaerobic
annihilation in the presence of oxygen.

The yeast are called as facultative anaerobes. Facultative anaerobes may survive
either under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.

Did Stanley make any wine?

Stanley did not make any wine because Stanley used an open container.
Fermentation does not occur if there is a presence of air and so it has not happened in
Stanley’s open container. There will be no production of alcohol by using an open container.
Air supply stoppage is an important step in fermenting. Leaving the grape juice the mixture
of yeast in the glass without covering it, he exposed the yeast to the air. That is why Uncle
George use the large batch of fermenters that are airtight in the vineyard.
Conclusion

In conclusion, fermentation and yeast are the most important step in making wine.
Yeast can transform the sugar of wine grapes to alcohol and carbon dioxide through the
fermentation process in the absence of oxygen. The yeast accomplishes this by using
glucose via a series of metabolic pathways that generate not only enormous amounts of
energy for the cell in the presence of oxygen as well as different intermediates that the cell
requires to work. Undoubtedly, if the yeast cells are healthy and fermentation is allowed, all
fermentable sugars will be consumed by yeast with only the unfermentable pentose leaving
a negligible amount of residual sugar behind.
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