Achievement Task

You are a biochemical engineer who works for Red Flag Bakery, one of Canada’s largest food product manufacturers.  The company has asked you to look into altering the recipe for their popular sandwich bread with the goal of reducing production costs.

Part A: Research

Your research team has brainstormed ideas on how to reduce production costs.  They feel this could be accomplished by possibly reducing or eliminating ingredients or by increasing the amount of ‘air bubbles’ in the bread, therefore, requiring less dough needed per loaf.  Another possibility that has been brought up is the use of genetically engineered yeast to help accomplish this goal.

1. Obtain a sample of a growing yeast culture and view it under the microscope.  Draw a diagram of the yeast cells noting how they reproduce by budding.  How is budding different from the way our cells reproduce mitosis?

2. What basic raw materials do yeast require to undergo cellular respiration?

3. Where do these reactions occur in the cell?

4. In the absence of oxygen how do yeast cells get energy?

5. Write the word equation for anaerobic fermentation in yeast cells.

6. How is this different from anaerobic fermentation in our cells?

Part B.  Testing

1. Choose a fellow biochemical engineer as a partner to perform the six “Yeast Experiments” outlined in the Red Star website.  Each partner should do three experiments a yeast growth test, a fermentation test, and one of the making bread activities.

2. List the observations you and your partner obtained for each experiment.          

Part C.  Analysis

1. Answer the conclusion questions for each experiment then get together with your partner to analyze your combined results.

2. List the necessary ingredients for making bread and describe the function of each ingredient.

D.  Final Report

1. Write a report for your director outlining possible ways to cut production costs and the effects they will have on the product sandwich bread.

2. One option mentioned earlier was to use genetically engineered yeast for the fermentation process.  What possible problems might this create?  Do you feel this risk is valid? Explain.