Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom.

The first yeast

originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and 1,500 species are currently identified. They are estimated to
constitute 1% of all described fungal species. Yeasts are unicellular organisms which evolved from multicellular
ancestors, with some species having the ability to develop multicellular characteristics by forming strings of
connected budding cells known as pseudo hyphae or false hyphae. Yeast sizes vary greatly, depending on species
and environment, typically measuring 3–4 µm in diameter, although some yeast can grow to 40 µm in size. Most
yeasts reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by the asymmetric division process known as budding.
Yeasts, with their single-celled growth habit, can be contrasted with molds, which grow hyphae. Fungal species that
can take both forms (depending on temperature or other conditions) are called dimorphic fungi ("dimorphic" means
"having two forms").
By fermentation, the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates to carbon
dioxide and alcohols – for thousands of years the carbon dioxide has been used in baking and the alcohol in
alcoholic beverages. It is also a centrally important model organism in modern cell biology research, and is one of
the most thoroughly researched eukaryotic microorganisms. Researchers have used it to gather information about
the biology of the eukaryotic cell and ultimately human biology. Other species of yeasts, such as Candida albicans,
are opportunistic pathogens and can cause infections in humans. Yeasts have recently been used to generate
electricity in microbial fuel cells, and produce ethanol for the biofuel industry.
Yeasts do not form a single taxonomic or phylogenetic grouping. The term "yeast" is often taken as
a synonym for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but the phylogenetic diversity of yeasts is shown by their placement in
two separate phyla: the Ascomycota and the Basidiomycota. The budding yeasts ("true yeasts") are classified in
the order Saccharomycetales, within the phylum Ascomycota.
Yeast is a unicellular fungus which grows naturally in substances rich in sugar such as grapes ,palm juice ,fruit
juices ,etc. The yeast cell is ovoid in shape and has a distinct cell wall consisting of chitin which encloses the
cytoplasm .The cytoplasm contains a prominent vacuole ,a nucleus ,several mitochondria ,and stored food in the
form of glycogen and oil globules.
Because of the absence of chlorophyll, yeast cannot synthesis its food by the process of photosynthesis.Yeast
secretes digestive juices on the substance in which it grows.These digestive juices digests sugar and starch present
in the growing medium and convert them into glucose.This glucose is absorbed by the yeast and therafter it is
utilized to produce energy during respiration.One interesting feature about respiration of yeast is that it respires in
the absence of oxygen. This type of respiration which occurs in the absence of oxygen is known as Anaerobic
Respiration (or) Fermentation.
Reproduction of Yeast:Yeasts, like all fungi, may have asexual and sexual reproductive cycles. The most common
mode of vegetative growth in yeast is asexual reproduction by budding.Here, a small bud (also known as a bleb), or
daughter cell, is formed on the parent cell. The nucleus of the parent cell splits into a daughter nucleus and migrates
into the daughter cell. The bud continues to grow until it separates from the parent cell, forming a new cell. The
daughter cell produced during the budding process is generally smaller than the mother cell. Some yeasts,
including Schizosaccharomyces pombe, reproduce by fission instead of budding, thereby creating two identically
sized daughter cells.
In general, under high-stress conditions such as nutrient starvation, haploid cells will die; under the same
conditions, however, diploid cells can undergo sporulation, entering sexual reproduction (meiosis) and producing a
variety of haploid spores, which can go on to mate (conjugate), reforming the diploid.
The haploid fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a facultative sexual microorganism that can undergo
mating when nutrients are limiting. Exposure of S. pombe to hydrogen peroxide, an agent that causes oxidative
stress leading to oxidative DNA damage, strongly induces mating and the formation of meiotic spores. The budding
yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiaereproduces by mitosis as diploid cells when nutrients are abundant, but when
starved, this yeast undergoes meiosis to form haploid spores. Haploid cells may then reproduce asexually by
mitosis.
In fermentation, the products are organic acids,gases or alcohol.It occurs in Yeast and bacteria and also in oxygen
starved muscle cells,as in case of lactic acid fermentation.The science of fermentation is known as ZYMOLOGY.
In microorganisms, fermentation is the primary means of producing ATP by the degradatiuon of organic nutrients
anaerobically.Fermentation is used for preservation in a process that produce lactic acid as found in Sour foods as
pickled cucumbers,kimchi and yogurt,as well as for producing alcoholic bevarages such as Wine and Beer.
Wine Making:Yeast is used in winemaking, where it converts the sugars present (glucose and fructose) in grape
juice (must) into ethanol. Yeast is normally already present on grape skins. Fermentation can be done with this
endogenous "wild yeast", but this procedure gives unpredictable results, which depend upon the exact types of yeast
species present. For this reason, a pure yeast culture is usually added to the must; this yeast quickly dominates the
fermentation. The wild yeasts are repressed, which ensures a reliable and predictable fermentation.
 Fermentation of Wine

Baking:Yeast, the most common one being S. cerevisiae, is used in baking as a leavening agent, where it converts
the food/fermentable sugars present in dough into the gas carbon dioxide. This causes the dough to expand or rise
as gas forms pockets or bubbles. When the dough is baked, the yeast dies and the air pockets "set", giving the baked
product a soft and spongy texture. The use of potatoes, water from potato boiling, eggs, or sugar in a bread dough
accelerates the growth of yeasts. Most yeasts used in baking are of the same species common in alcoholic
fermentation. In addition, Saccharomyces exiguus (also known as S. minor), a wild yeast found on plants, fruits, and
grains, is occasionally used for baking. In breadmaking, the yeast initially respires aerobically, producing carbon
dioxide and water. When the oxygen is depleted, fermentation begins, producing ethanol as a waste product;
however, this evaporates during baking.

Compressed Fresh Yeast A Baked Bread

To study the effect of concentration of yeast on the rate of fermentation

 Yeast
 Three conical flasks
 Three delivery tubes
 Orange juice
 Balloons
Yeast by the process of fermentation convert glucose into ethanol and carbon dioxide.The enzyme found in yeast
are the natural catalysts that can make this process happen. The process of fermentation can be represented by the
following equation:
enzymes in yeast
C6H12O6 2C2H5OH + 2CO2

1. Take three 100 mL conical flasks fitted with a delivery tube.

2. Remove the delivery tube and add 100mL of orange juice into each flask.
3. Add 2g of yeast in flask A , 3g in flask B , 4g in flask C and stir the contents of all the flasks with the glass
rod.
4. Fit the delivery tube into the mouth of each flask and then tie a balloon with the help of a thread to the upper
end of the delivery tube.
5. Keep all the three flasks undisturbed and note the time taken to inflate the balloon.
As the yeast eats the sugar , it releases a gas called carbon dioxide.the gas fills the bottle and then fills balloon as
more gas is created. Thus , the balloon gets inflated .

Inflated Balloon CO2 bubbles from Yeast During Fermentaion

The rate of fermentaion is____________ the weight of yeast added. Thus, the balloon in Flask-A gets
inflated________________ as the rate of fermentation is ____________.The balloon in Flask-B gets inflated
______________ than that in Flask A as it contains more yeast than A.The balloon in Flask- C is
the_________________inflated as the amount of yeast present is much higher.

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