Alcoholic Fermentation: Second Edition, 1914Harden, Arthur
Science
Alcoholic Fermentation: Second Edition, 1914
Harden, Arthur
Fermentation
A comparison of living yeast, zymin, and yeast-juice shows that these
are situated on an ascending scale with respect to their response to
phosphate. Taking fructose as the substrate in each case, yeast does
not respond to phosphate at all (Slator), the rate of fermentation
by zymin is approximately doubled (p. 46), and that by yeast-juice
increased ten to forty times, whilst the maximum rates are in each
case of the same order of magnitude. Euler and Kullberg, however,
have observed an acceleration of about 25 per cent. in the rate
of fermentation of yeast in presence of a 2 per cent. solution of
monosodium phosphate, NaH{2}PO{4} [1911, 1, 2].
The high rate of fermentation by living yeast and its lack of response
to phosphate may possibly be explained by supposing that the balance
of enzymes in the living cell is such that the supply of phosphate
is maintained at the optimum, and the rate of fermentation cannot
therefore be increased by a further supply.
A further difference lies in the fact that yeast-juice and zymin
respond to phosphate more strongly in presence of fructose than of
glucose, whereas yeast ferments both sugars at the same rate (p. 131),
and this property has been shown to be connected with the specific
relations of fructose to the fermenting complex. It seems possible
that these differences are associated with the gradual passage from
the complete living cell of yeast, through the dead and partially
disorganised cell of zymin to yeast-juice in which the last trace of
cellular organisation has disappeared and the contents of the cell are
uniformly diffused throughout the liquid. Living yeast is, moreover,
not only unaffected by phosphate but only decomposes hexosephosphate
extremely slowly (Iwanoff).
Some light is thrown on these interesting problems by the effect of
antiseptics on fermentation by yeast-cells and by yeast-juice. The
action of toluene has hitherto been most completely studied, and
this substance is an extremely suitable one for the purpose since it
has practically no action whatever on fermentation by yeast-juice.
The experiments of Buchner have, in fact, shown that the normal rate
of fermentation and the total fermentation produced, are almost
unaffected by the presence of toluene even in the proportion of 1 c.c.
to 20 c.c. of yeast-juice. What then is the effect of toluene on the
living yeast-cell? When toluene in large excess is agitated with a
fermenting mixture of yeast and sugar, the rate of fermentation falls
rapidly at first and then more slowly until a relatively constant rate
is attained which gradually decreases in a similar manner to the rate
of fermentation by yeast-juice. Thus at air temperature (16°) 10 grams
of [p125] yeast suspended in 50 c.c. of 6 per cent. glucose solution
gave the following results when agitated with toluene:--
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