1. If you were given an unknown food sample and asked to identify its contents, which test would you use to determine the presence of each of these biomolecules? a. Lipids: Brown paper bag test b. Protein: Biuret Reagent test c. Glucose: Benedict Reagent test d. Starch: Iodine Solution test
2. You tested your unknown solution for the macromolecules mentioned above and you recorded the following observations. A (+) indicated a color change was observed, a (-) indicates no change in color. What could conclusions could you make about the different macromolecules that compose the unknown solution?
The unknown solution contains lipid, and protein. But does not contain Glucose or Starch. The unknown solution is mostly some kinds of food (most likely protein full meat) fried or cooked with oil (lipid).
Positive Control Negative Control Unknown Solution Lipid Test (+) (-) (+) Protein Test (+) (+) (+) Glucose Test (-) (-) (-) Starch Test (+) (-) (-)
3. Jonathan and Molly performed a similar experiment except that in their lab they also tested a slurry made from a McDonalds Happy cheeseburger meal (cheeseburger, fries & a coke). What organic molecules would you expect to find in the slurry? What portion of the meal may have provided each of these?
The biomolecules expected are: Starch (from the fries and buns of the burger), Protein (from the meat of the cheeseburger), Lipids (from the old used to fry the fries and cooking the meat on the burger), and Glucose (from the sweet coke).
4. Thinking back on the work that you did in the lab to identify organic molecules, can you identify portions of the experiment that you felt were weaker than others? What types of errors could have been made? There were systematic errors that could have been made during the experiment. Since the following the procedure was done by two people, there could have been mistakes (filling in different amounts of solutions by accident). Also the scientific equipment used was not very accurate, this could have altered the results. To improve this experiment, more accurate equipment should be used. Furthermore, one person (or better yet a systematic robot) should complete the leg work of the experiment for maximum accuracy. Other than that, there shouldnt be anymore notable errors.
5. Were there any results that surprised you? Explain. There werent really any test results that jumped at me. I guess I was a tad bit surprised that there was sugar in potato, and protein in milk. I have always thought of potatoes as an example of a food that isnt sweat, so that was slightly surprising. All my life, I thought of protein as meat; never as a drinkable substance, so finding protein in milk surprised me a little bit. Other than that, the test results are mostly as expected.
Results:
Sugar Test Solution: Evidence Of Change Milk No change Honey Change Egg White No change Apple Juice Change Potato Change Corn oil No change Liver No change Deionized Water (Negative Control) No change Glucose (Positive Control) Change
Figure 1: Sugar Test Image
Lipid Test Solution: Evidence Of Change Milk No change Honey No change Egg White No change Apple Juice No Change Potato No Change Corn oil Change Liver Change Oil Solution (Positive Control) Change
Figure 2: Lipid Test Image
Starch Test: Solution: Evidence Of Change Milk No change Honey No change Egg White No change Apple Juice No change Potato Change Corn oil No change Liver No change Deionized Water (Negative Control) No change Starch Solution (Positive Control) Change
Figure 3: Starch Test Image
Protein Test: Solution: Evidence Of Change Milk Change Honey No change Egg White Change Apple Juice No change Potato No change Corn oil No change Liver No change Water (Negative Control) No change Gelatin (Positive Control) Change
Figure 4: Protein Test Image
Conclusion: From the test results, we can conclude that honey, apple juice, and potatoes contain sugar. These three solutions showed the most change (color changed to green/orange), and most closely resemble the positive control. Also, we found that only corn oil and liver contains lipids. These two solutions showed the most change (made the brown paper see through), and most closely resemble the positive control. We also found that only the potato solution contains starch, as it has the most change (color turned black), and most closely resemble the positive control. Lastly, we found that milk and egg white contains protein. They have the most change (color turned purplish blue), and most closely resemble the positive control.