Cellular Respiration in Yeast

DOMINGO,GALOS,GENUINO,HILVANO,LAPIRA,LOZANO

Abstract
Cellular Respiration, a process by which an organism
produces energy from energy molecules such as glucose or

fatty acids, occurs differently under certain conditions. This

report makes use of these differences by exposing yeast

suspension under different conditions.

5 Smith Fermentation tubes were

prepared and placed with glucose with

yeast, glucose, boiled yeast with

glucose, starch solution with glucose

and yeast respectively. The rates of

CO2 formed by the yeast in each tube

were compared for 40 minutes.

Abstract
It can be concluded that under the condition by which
yeast and a simple sugar such as glucose is present, the

production of CO2 will form more prominently than the

others.

I. Introduction
All organisms need energy to survive. Cells use a
process called Cellular Respiration to acquire the energy

needed. In Cellular Respiration an organisms cells transforms

energy molecules like starch or glucose into an energy

currency called Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP.

I. Introduction
Cellular Respiration can be classified as Aerobic or
Anaerobic Respiration. In Aerobic Respiration, cells will

breakdown glucose in the presence of oxygen through certain

processes to produce CO2 and H2O. Aerobic Respiration

usually occurs within the cells of animals such as humans.

I. Introduction
On the other hand, Anaerobic Respiration which can be divided further more into Alcoholic Fermentation or Lactic Acid Fermentation occurs without any oxygen. The only difference between the two processes is that Alcoholic Fermentation produces ethanol, ATP and CO2 while Lactic Acid Fermentation produces Lactic Acid and ATP.

I. Introduction
In terms of completeness in breakdown and production
of energy and CO2, Aerobic Respiration is complete and

produces 6 moles of CO2 and 36/38 ATP while Fermentation

produces 2 ATP and 2 moles of Lactic Acid (Lactic Acid

Fermentation) or 2 moles of CO2 and a mole of ethanol.

I. Introduction
The experiment conducted aims to study the cellular
respiration in yeast by observing the results and taking note

of the condition at which they occur. Also, this experiment

aims to enumerate factors in cellular respiration by analyzing

and varying the reagent in each smith fermentation tube.

5 Smith Fermentation tubes were filled with 20 ml of different reagents. (Glucose for the first 3 tubes, Starch for the 4th and water for the test tube 20 ml water was added to each of the tubes.
20 ml of yeast suspension was added to tubes 1,4 and 5 while 20 ml of boiled yeast suspension was added to tube 3. Each tube were checked for air bubbles in the tube and titled the tube horizontally while covering the opening to remove them. The opening of each tube was covered with cotton. The evolution of CO2 in each tube were recorded and compared.

II. Methodology

III. Results and Discussion

Cellular Respiration is spontaneous chemical process
wherein a cell makes energy by the transformation of energy

molecules such as sugars and fatty acids into ATP and certain
by-products. Cellular Respiration is divided mainly into

Aerobic Respiration and Anaerobic Respiration.

Aerobic Respiration is the creation of 36/38 units of ATP, 6 moles of CO2 and 6

III. Results and Discussion

moles of H2O from the breaking down of glucose through certain processes. It is given by the equation:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O+ 36/38 ATP

Aerobic Respiration is divided into 3

III. Results and Discussion

major processes: Glycolysis, the Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport Chain. The first step of any type of Cellular Respiration is Glycolysis where the glucose molecules are transformed into 2 moles of pyruvic acid in the cytosol at the consequence of using 2 units of ATP.

The energy input and output of glycolisis

III. Results and Discussion

In this process, 4 units of ATP is produced for a

net total of 2 (subtracted from the 2 used), 2 units of NADH+H and as said, 2 moles of pyruvic acid. The pyruvic acid produced goes into a transitional stage where the pyruvic acid is transformed into Acetyl CoA. This product then goes into the Krebs cycle where Acetyl CoA goes through numerous

transformations which will result into 8 units of NADH,

2 units of FADH2 and 4 units of ATP. This whole process occurs inside the mitochondrial matrix of the cell.
Overview of pyruvate oxidation and Citric Acid Cycle

III. Results and Discussion

Lastly, the units of NADH and FADH2 proceed to

the cristae of the mitochondria where these products are passed through certain pigments called cytochrome. These carriers are then transformed into ATP. The total units of ATP produced is 36 or 38 units

this is called the Electron Transport Chain. The reason for

the difference is due to the transportation of the NADH produced in the cytosol to the mitochondrion of the cell. There are 2 transportation systems: malate aspartate and glycerol phosphate.
Free-energy change during electron transport

III. Results and Discussion

Under malate aspartate NADH can pass through the complete Transport chain thus producing 6 for the two NADH while in glycerol phosphate it will produce 4. Anaerobic Respiration on the other hand is the production of Energy from the enzymatic breakdown of Glucose to produce energy this process is done without oxygen.

III. Results and Discussion

Unlike its oxygen using counterpart, Anaerobic Respiration is much more inefficient in the production of ATP producing just 2 units of ATP. In Anaerobic Respiration, only glycolysis takes place and the NADH produced

will be used in the repetition of glycolysis. This process has two different
types: Alcoholic Fermentation and Lactic Acid Fermentation. Alcoholic Fermentation is the production of Ethyl Alcohol, 2 moles of CO2 and 2 units of ATP.

C6H12O6 2CO2 + C2H5OH + 2 ATP

This type of respiration occurs in yeast and some plant cells.

III. Results and Discussion

The other type of Anaerobic Respiration is Lactic acid Fermentation which is the enzymatic breakdown of glucose into Lactic acid and 2 units of ATP. It is given by the equation:

C6H12O6 C3H6O3 + 2 ATP

This type of respiration is seen in bacteria and muscle cells. This is the main reason for cramping in our muscles

III. Results and Discussion

In Cellular Respiration, there are two processes which can be observed in the production of energy. The first is called substrate phosphorylation. It occurs when a molecule of ADP reacts with a phosphate group from a substrate to produce ATP. This type of Phosphorylation is seen in Glycolysis and also in the Krebs Cycle. The other type of phosphorylation is called Oxidative Phosphorylation. This is the process that creates the most number of ATP. This is only seen in Aerobic

Respiration and it occurs when an ADP combines with a phosphate group in the
electron transport chain.

min.
5m
Tube No. 1 2 Contents (excluding H2O) Glucose +Yeast Glucose

1
0.02mm 0.03mm 0.04mm

2
n/a n/a n/a

3
0.15mm 0.18mm 0.20mm

4
0.08mm 0.10mm 0.10mm

5
0.1mm 0.1mm 0.1mm

10m 15m

3
4 5

Boiled Yeast + Glucose

Starch Solution + Yeast Yeast

20m
25m 30m 35m 40m

0.05mm
0.05mm 0.05mm 0.5mm 0.5mm

n/a
n/a n/a n/a n/a

0.21mm
0.24mm 0.25mm 0.25mm 0.26mm

0.14mm
0.15mm 0.15mm 0.20mm 0.20mm

0.1mm
0.1mm 0.1mm 0.1mm 0.1mm

In the experiment, mixtures were placed in separate Smith Fermentation tubes. The diameter of the circle was measured to compare the amount of carbon dioxide formed.

After shaking vigorously, spontaneous production of CO2 was observed. Since it

III. Results and Discussion

produced bubbles instead of one big bubble, the amount was then just compared to one another.
Content
Glucose +Yeast Glucose Boiled Yeast + Glucose Starch Solution + Yeast

Amt. of bubbles
Large production No Bubbles 1 small bubble 2 large bubbles with a small prod of bubbles

Yeast

No Bubbles

The production of CO2 was observed in

III. Results and Discussion

Tube 1, Tube 3 and Tube 4. The evolution of CO2 is very fast and the bubbles were numerous in tube 1 this was because glucose was readily available for the respiration of the yeast. In tube 3, there should be no CO2 because yeast dies in high temperature. The presence of CO2 in tube 3 is

probably due to the incomplete heating of the

yeast suspension.

III. Results and Discussion

Lastly, in tube 4 there was little evolution of CO2 this is because to respire, yeast must secrete amylase to break down the starch into glucose and not all yeast can produce amylase and even if they could this will take more time. For tubes 2 and 5 Respiration was not present because one of the essential factors was absent (yeast in tube 2 and

glucose in tube 5).

III. Results and Discussion

There are several factors in which respiration will occur, lets discuss them one by one:

III. Results and Discussion

The more nutrients that is available to transform, the more energy results in the cellular respiration process. The

types of nutrients that can go through the cellular respiration

process and transform into energy are namely fat, proteins and carbohydrates. This also includes amino acids and fatty

acids. The carbohydrates converts to glucose, the fats go

through the citric acid cycle and the proteins break down and go through glycolysis. The amount of nutrients available to

transform into energy depend on the diet of a person. The

Amount of Nutrients

nutrients go through three processes in cellular respiration. The processes are glycolysis, Krebs cycle and the cytochrome

system.

III. Results and Discussion

Another factor affecting the cellular respiration is the temperature of the environment. Usually, the rate of cellular respiration quickens if the temperature is warmer. The lower the temperature, the slower the rate of cellular respiration is. People who live

in warmer environments find it easier to restore

their energy as long as there are nutrients

Temperature

available to convert in the body.

III. Results and Discussion

The reason for this is the enzymes that are present in the cellular respiration process. Enzymes break down easier and then transform into energy quicker when the temperature is higher. Although the temperature affects the

rate of cellular respiration, there are no studies

that prove more energy production with higher

temperatures. The temperature factor just

Temperature

affects the rate of the cellular respiration process.

III. Results and Discussion

The state of a cell undergoing the cellular respiration process is a factor that affects the rate of transforming

nutrients into energy. Working cells, such as neurons or roots

of the human hair, have a higher cellular respiration rate compared with dormant cells like seeds. This is because

working cells can store extra energy in the body while dormant
cells tend to stay non-motile. For this reason, plant cells do not need to store as much energy as human cells or animal

cells do. This is the reason why cellular respiration in plants is

State of Cell

a bit different from the cellular respiration process human and animal cells go through.

III. Results and Discussion

As seen with the experiment the type of substrate to be used in Respiration is quite important. As for the case of the yeast, if glucose, starch and maltose are placed in different tubes,

glucose will still be the fastest. Though there are

numerous glucose molecules in both maltose and starch, the yeast will need to release enzymes which may not be available to them and even if they are it

Substrate Present

would take time compared to an environment

where glucose is readily available.

III. Results and Discussion

In the experiment, yeast was observed to use energy through Alcoholic Fermentation. Though yeast can produce through both Aerobic and Alcoholic Fermentation, it can be

deduced that it is anaerobic because the cotton was

placed to block any oxygen had there been oxygen

the amount of CO2 would have been much greater.

Substrate Present

IV. Conclusion
The rate of cellular respiration is affected by the conditions in which it takes place. When yeast and a simple sugar such as glucose is present during the cellular respiration, the production of CO2 will form more prominently than the others

Biology 10 (General Biology) Laboratory Manual. Department of Biology - College of Arts and Sciences - University of the Philippines, Manila. Print.

Campbell, N.A., Reece, J.B. & Meyers, N. (2006). Biology. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Delos Reyes, J. (2006). Introduction to Biology: Principles and Processes (6th ed.). Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila.

References