Re: Yeast fermentation with pure sugars and molasses

John,
  Good observations. The easiest answer to your question is that the 
sugars you used for your experiment are fermentable and should lead to 
varying CO2 production through anaerobic respiration. You are correct to 
hypothesize that there is something about the composition of molasses that 
promotes greater production of CO2 (even though you used sugar 
concentrations approaching that found in molasses). Biochemically, CO2 
production is dependent on many things - not just the fermentable sugar 
you use. One of the most important factors is pH. The composition 
(components other than sugar) of molasses along with the breakdown of 
the sugars provides an ideal environment for CO2 production compared to 
sugars alone. Good Luck!

                             Jeff Stiefel