Science Yeast

 Kia Ora,
What is Yeast? 
Yeast is made out of egg shaped cells you can only see in a microscope. 
Since Yeast is alive it can also die. 
Yeast is Fungi, Yeast has been alive longer than anyone. 
There is over 1000 kinds of yeast.
Yeast produce carbon dioxide.
Yeast plays a role in beer and alcohol and is a big part in hangovers.
Equipment:

• Spoons

• Kettle

• Bowl

• Beaker

• Cloth sieve 

• Funnel

• Plastic (PET) bottle and cap.

Materials
Bug (for a group of 3)

•  50ml warm water

• 2. 1/2 tsp active dried yeast

• 3 1/2 tsp sugar

• 4 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Ginger beer (for 1 Litre)

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

• 1L cold water

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 tsp ginger beer bug

Method

1. In a large bowl, put the sugar and cream of tartar, then add the warm water.

1. Stir to dissolve the sugar before adding the cold water.

1. Add the ginger beer bug to the large bowl of cold water.

1. Stir well and then pour into your clean bottle.

1. Label your bottle with your group names.

1. Place all the bottles in the class container.

1. Store in a cool, dark place for one week before drinking.

1. Make sure you open the bottle in the kitchen sink as it might overflow. Open the cap bit by bit to allow the air to escape.

What is fermentation? The chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat.
What effect does sugar have on yeast? Too little sugar in dough can slow down yeast activity: Yeast is a lot like us – it loves to eat sugar. Yeast needs sugar to produce carbon dioxide – the leavening gas that causes the dough to rise. If there is not enough sugar available, the dough will rise slowly or not at all.

Today we made ginger beer in class. We did this by activating the yeast first by adding sugar to the yeast,putting some ginger and warm water in a cup together. Once we had done this we put it to the side and left it to ferment while we made the rest of the ginger beer. We made the ginger beer in an ice cream container by adding first the sugar, then the water, some lemon juice and lastly the ginger beer bug. Once everything was mixed up we put it in a bottle. It is going to take about 6 days to turn into ginger beer. Mr Palmer is going to keep it in his office for the next week.