Effect of pH Buffer on Yeast Reaction

Essay by shardubaHigh School, 11th gradeA+, November 2014

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Shardul Bansal BioChem 27/11/14

Effect of pH on Yeast Rate of Reaction

Aim

I have chosen to investigate pH levels because I find it intriguing that people only use water to make bread dough. However, the optimum pH for a yeast reaction to occur is slightly acidic. Could it be that people all around the world have been using the wrong liquid to make their bread dough? In this investigation, I want to put the theory to the test, and to see if bakers all around the world can benefit from using a slightly different pH. If my results conclude that a slightly more acidic buffer is a more optimum pH, this also means that people who are making bread dough are using too much quantity of yeast when instead, they could be using a different pH liquid to acquire the bread dough to rise. Hence, I want to investigate how different pH levels affect a yeast reaction.

Hypothesis

I believe that that since yeast is an enzymatic reaction; there will be an optimum pH for yeast to grow. Yeast grows best in slightly acidic levels, in the pH level of 5 and less (Wikipedia, 2014). This is because the enzymes in yeast perform best at a slightly acidic level. If the environment is too acidic or too basic, the enzymes can start to denature. This means that in pH buffer 2, the yeast will grow in a slightly restricted environment since the pH is too acidic. I predict that the rate of reaction will be 0.06cm/min for pH 2. PH 4 will provide the highest increase in the height of the bread dough. I predict that the rate of reaction will be 0.16cm/min. Sine pH 6 is still slightly acidic, I predict that the rate of reaction will be...