DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL

BANGALORE EAST

Chemistry Investigatory
Project

Topic: Rate of Fermentation

Name:
Class: XII ‘P’
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr./ Ms.
of
class 12, with Roll Number of
Delhi Public School, Bangalore East has completed
his/her project in the subject of
for the class 12
practical examination of the Central Board of
Secondary Education for the academic year 2023-2024
under my supervision.

He/ She has taken great care and shown utmost

sincerity in the completion of the project.

I further certify that this project is up to my expectation

and is as per CBSE requirements.

Manila Carvalho Internal Examiner

Principal

External Examiner
 INDEX
SL.NO. TOPIC PAGE
NO.
1 Acknowledgment 01

2 Introduction 02-03

3 Aim & Objective 04

4 Materials Required 05

5 Theory 06

6 Procedure 07

7 Observations 08

8 Result 08

9 Uses 09

10 Bibliography 10
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my
Chemistry teacher and lab
assistant for their vital
support, guidance, and encouragement without
which this project would not have come forth.

I would also like to thank Dr. Manila Carvalho,

our esteemed principal, for her continued support
and to provide the facilities required to execute
this project.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank my

parents for their undivided support and interest
which always inspires me.
INTRODUCTION
Fermentation is a metabolic process serving for some
microorganisms to get energy through digestion of simple
fermentable sugars, mostly glucose and fructose.

Typically, it is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohol and

carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a
combination of both, under anaerobic conditions. A more
restricted definition of fermentation is the chemical
conversion of sugars into ethanol.

The science of fermentation is known as zymology.

There are two mains types of fermentation. Namely:
→ Ethanol Fermentation
→ Lactic Acid Fermentation

Biological fermentation denotes the enzyme-catalysed,

energy-yielding pathway in cells involving the anaerobic
breakdown of molecules in the cytoplasm whereas industrial
fermentation processes begin with suitable microorganisms
and specified conditions, such as careful adjustment of
nutrient concentration.
HISTORY
Our first use of fermentation began in the prehistoric times
when our ape ancestors stumbled upon some fallen fruits.
When eaten, these overripe fruits caused a strange,
intoxicating feeling in our ancestors. The sugars of the fruit
attracted yeast which caused the compound ethanol to be
formed in the process of fermentation.

The earliest known evidence for humans using fermented

drinks comes from 7,000 BCE in China where residue in clay
pots revealed that people have been making fermented drinks
from fermented rice, millet, grapes, and honey.

Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians made beer throughout

the year from stored cereal grains. Fermented grapes were
commonly available as beer and wine in Rome. In South
America, people made chicha from grains and in Mexico,
pulque, made from cactus sap was drunk. East Africans made
banana and palm beer. In Japan, fermented rice (sake) was the
choice of drinks.

In 1856, a French chemist by the name of Louis Pasteur

connected yeast to the process of fermentation. Pasteur
originally defined fermentation as, “respiration without air,”
and he understood by his observations that fermentation never
occurred in the absence of simultaneous cellular propagation
and organization.
To compare the rate of fermentation of given sample of the
following using yeast:
✓ wheat flour
✓ gram flour
✓ rice flour
✓ potato
✓ Conical flask

✓ Test tube

✓ Funnel

✓ Filter paper

✓ Water bath

✓ 1% Iodine solution

✓ Yeast

✓ Wheat flour

✓ Gram flour

✓ Rice flour

✓ Potato

✓ Aqueous NaCl solution

THEORY
Wheat flour, gram flour, rice flour and potatoes contain starch
as the major constituent. The starch present in these food
materials is first brought into solution.

In the presence of enzyme diastase, the starch undergo

fermentation to give maltose.
Starch gives blue-violet colour with iodine but product of
fermentation of starch do not give any characteristic colour.
Amylose is the compound that is responsible for the blue
colour. Its chain forms a helix shape, and iodine can be bound
inside this helix.
When the fermentation is complete, the reaction mixture stops
giving blue-violet colour with iodine solution.

We can compare the rate of fermentation by comparing the

time required for completion of fermentation of equal
amounts of different substances containing starch.

The enzyme diastase is obtained by germination of moist

barley seeds in dark at 15 oC. When the germination is
complete the temperature is raised to 60 oC to stop further
growth.
The seeds are crushed and then put into water and filtered.
The filtrate has enzyme diastase and is called malt extract.
PROCEDURE
Step 1: Take 5 gm of wheat flour in 100 ml conical flask and
add 30 ml of distilled water.

Step 2: Boil the contents of the flask for about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Filter the above contents after cooling, the filtrate

obtained is wheat flour extract.

Step 4: To the wheat flour extract, taken in a conical flask.

Add 5 ml of 1% aqueous NaCl solution.

Step 5: Keep this flask in a water bath maintained at a

temperature of 50-60 oC. Add 2 ml of malt extract.

Step 6: After 2 minutes, take 2 drops of the reaction mixture

and add to diluted iodine solution.

Step 7: Repeat Step 6 after every 2 minutes. When no bluish

colour is produced, the fermentation is complete.

Step 8: Record the total time taken for completion of

fermentation.

Step 9: Repeat the experiment with gram flour extract, rice

flour extract, potato extract.

Step 10: Record the observations.

OBSERVATIONS
Time required for the fermentation of the respective samples
are recorded as follows:
✓ Wheat flour – 10 hours
✓ Gram flour – 12.5 hours
✓ Rice flour – 15 hours
✓ Potato – 13 hours

RESULT
Rice flour takes maximum time for fermentation.
Wheat flour takes minimum time for fermentation.
USES
Fermentation usually implies that the action of
microorganisms is desirable, and the process is used to
produce alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and cider.
In bakery fermentation, the production of carbon dioxide
(CO2) is required as it serves for fluffing up the dough.

Fermentation is also employed in preservation techniques to

create lactic acid in sour foods such as sauerkraut, dry
sausages, kimchi and yoghurt, or vinegar for use in pickling
foods.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
✓ www.icbse.com
✓ NCERT Lab Manual
✓ Library
✓ Wikipedia
✓ https://www.aidic.it/cet/19/75/049.pdf
✓ https://notesforfree.com/2017/12/26/compare
-rate-fermentation-wheat-flour-chemistry-
project/

✓ https://www.chemistryviews.org/details/educat
ion/10128441/Why_Does_Iodine_Turn_Starc
h_Blue/

✓ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5XEwT
DlriE