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A Laboratory Experiment, Based On The Maillard Reaction
A Laboratory Experiment, Based On The Maillard Reaction
Introduction
ABSTRACT: A simple laboratory experiment,
based on the Maillard reaction, served as a
project in Introductory Statistics for undergraduates in Food Science and Technology.
By using the principles of randomization
and replication and reflecting on the sources of variation in the experimental data,
students reinforced the statistical concepts
and techniques introduced to them in lectures before the experiment. The experiment was run simultaneously by several student groups, using the same materials.
Comparing the results of their analyses of
variance, students became aware of the
difference between P values and significance levels in making statistical decisions.
In the experiment, the complete randomized
design was applied; however, it is easy to adjust the experiment to teach students simple
regression and randomized block designs.
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Expectations
Study Description
In the School of Land and Food Sciences, Univ. of Queensland,
introductory statistics (Biometrics I) is taught in the 1st semester of
the 2nd y of the 3-year Bachelor of Applied Science (Food Science and Nutrition) and 4-year Bachelor of Food Technology programs. Food chemistry is taught in the 2nd semester of the 2nd y
following the introductory statistics course. One of the goals of Biometrics I is to ensure that, upon completing the course, students
will be able to communicate effectively with biometricians . . .
about how to design the experiment; what variables to measure
and how often; how to organize the data; what sort of data analysis is required; possible problems and limitations of the experiment; research questions that may be answered (Course outline,
STAT2701, 2005). The concepts of statistical importance and significance, and their corresponding measures, R2 (coefficient of determination) and P value, are often difficult for students to understand; nevertheless, these concepts are essential to the data analysis for their final year projects. For the Food Technology students
in the School, analysis of variance (ANOVA) is the most common
type of statistical analysis in their final-year projects; hence, efforts
are made in the introductory statistics course to enhance the students understanding of various experimental designs.
At the time of this experiment (week 9 of a 13-wk course), the
students had been taught the concepts of t tests and ANOVAs and
the elementary principles of experimental design (randomization,
replication, and control of experimental error). The timeframe of
the course allowed us to allocate two 2-hour tutorials and a 1hour lecture for the course laboratory project: the 1st tutorial was
supervised laboratory work; the 2nd was a computer class and
the lecture time allowed students to present their results.
The following learning objectives were associated with the experiment:
1. Enhance students understanding of the basic principles of
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The eggs (50 g each from Williams Eggs, Warwick, QLD Australia) used in this experiment were purchased from a local store; Dglucose monohydrate was purchased from Unilab (Seven Hills,
NSW, Australia), and filter papers were from Filtech (Armidale,
NSW, Australia). All aqueous solutions were prepared with highpurity water produced with a Millipore (Billerica, Ma., U.S.A.) Milli
Q system. All reagents were of analytical reagent grade unless otherwise stated.
Equipment
Each student group of no more than 8 students needed the following: 2 eggs; 1 mL pipette; 10 mL graduated pipette; pipette dispensers; fifteen 20-mL screw-top test tubes with lids; fifteen 20-mL
test tubes; fifteen 4.5-cm funnels; filter paper, Filtech 1893-090;
container; 2 test tube racks; marker pen; 4 different-colored
beads.
The class needed the following: vortex mixer (Ratek Instruments, Boronia, Victoria, Australia); covered water bath (Ratek Instruments shaking water bath); UV/Vis spectrophotometer (Pharmacia LKB, Alemeda, Calif.); 1 cm3 plastic or quartz spectrophotometer cells and distilled water for the reference cell.
Preparation of glucose solutions
Student Learning
Assessment and discussion
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
1
2
3
4
5
6
Nr of
students
Observed R2
Observed statistic,
F(4,10)
Reported
P value
Estimated pooled
variance, MSE
8
4
4
5
5
7
0.68
0.87
0.89
0.98
0.98
0.78
5.4
16.8
21.4
138.6
115.0
9.0
0.014
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.049
0.031
0.023
0.007
0.007
0.040
(that is, confounding people laboratory experience and treatments). Some groups noticed that the randomization prevented a
possible spatial effect of the water bath. One group also concluded that randomization was performed to minimize undesired
possible correlation between observations in the experiment.
While preparing the group presentation, students used their
discussions, results of the analysis, and personal reflections. Interestingly, the conclusions of the group discussion varied from research-related (the students noticed that the expected saturation
curve did not eventuate and suggested another set of concentrations: 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 10%) to business-related (the students argued that it was necessary to better control the experimental error as a food company would not be happy to have the
results of the analysis from a laboratory experiment that shows a
small R2) and even management-related (the students proposed
that they could design and analyze an experiment but to minimize human error, a skilful technician should be the one who performs the experiment).
In individual written reports, the students mostly related R2 to
the experimental error: with a coefficient of determination at
89.53% our test was fairly accurate. The rest of 10% cannot be
answered by the ANOVA test as errors like human and technical
errors have occurred, although many noticed the influence of the
data variation: this is a good example of how a single error can
compound itself into a larger one affecting nearly all areas of the
analysis. However, none of the students referred to the pooled
variation as being a measure of experimental error. This flaw in
their understanding was corrected in the lecture following the presentations when students discussed the comparative results of the
experiment, as presented in Table 2.
The experiment was designed to enhance students understanding of statistical principles by being encouraged to think independently and articulate their thoughts to a competent and appreciative judge. The following are some cautions we have formulated based on the observations during this exercise:
1. Do not use the experiment to lecture students, direct explanations have to be prohibited; instead, lead students to answers by
asking them questions.
2. Make it clear to students that they will not be penalized for any
flaw in their experimental technique; however, you expect that all
flaws will be discussed in their reports.
3. If using the before- and after-experiment questionnaire, do not
assess its context formally but allocate some marks for completion. Be sure that students are made aware of such an assessment
scheme (some of the students commented that this scheme allowed them to answer the questions honestly and openly without
hesitating about any lack in their knowledge).
4. Advise students before the experiment that a grade will be given for individual student participation in group discussion. Facilitate the discussion by asking groups provocative questions. For
example, we asked them whether it was possible to extend the
conclusion of their analysis further than the 2 eggs they used, the
carton of eggs that was purchased, the eggs from the supplier, and
so forth. Not having a deep understanding of the Maillard reacVol. 4, 2005JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION
73
ments and observations during and after the experiment. The 1st
author also expresses her gratitude to Dr Gloria DallAlba and participants of EDUC6000 (Graduate Certificate in Higher Education
for Experienced Teachers, Graduate School, UQ, Australia) for inspirational discussions. The authors are grateful to the Scientific and
Associate Editors and 2 anonymous referees for their valuable suggestions that helped us improve the clarity of our discussions.
Similar layouts of the experiment may be used to enhance students understanding of regression or blocking. In the following,
we suggest regression and block designs.
Regression experiment
Concentrations of glucose (%): 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5,
4.0, 4.5.
Instructions: Every concentration is to be prepared and measured
once.
Learning objectives: hypothesis testing, estimation of the regression coefficients, prediction and confidence intervals of regression.
Statistical analysis: fitted-line plot, ANOVA of regression (test and
diagnostics), confidence interval of the rate of reaction; confidence interval and prediction interval of absorbance.
Report and disc ussion: the observed coefficient of determination,
R2, P value, and the mean square error (in the context of experimental error).
Randomized complete block design ANOVA (students as blocks)
Concentrations of glucose (%): 0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0.
Instructions: Each student in a group should complete the experiment (1 replication per student). The results are to be combined
within the groups for data analysis with students being analyzed
as blocks.
Learning objectives: experimental design, blocking effect, replication, and randomization.
Analysis: scatter-plot, basic summary, ANOVA of Randomized
Complete Block Design (tests and diagnostics), multiple comparisons of treatments.
Report and discussion: the observed coefficient of determination, R2,
P value, and mean square error (in the context of experimental error).
References
Conclusions
It is possible to improve students understanding of statistical
principles and techniques by introducing a laboratory experiment
from the laboratory practicum of a major discipline into an introductory statistics course. In particular, in a Food Science and
Technology program, the experiment based on the Maillard reaction may be a suitable choice. It is related to their major area of
study, does not require expensive equipment, is doable in 2 h of
supervised work, and is easy to analyze and comprehend. When
an experiment is supervised by both a technician and biometrician, it provides a good opportunity to test and enhance students
understanding of randomization, replication, and hypothesis testing and error estimation.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this
research provided by the Faculty of Natural Resources and Veterinary Science, Univ. of Queensland from the Facultys fund for enhancement of student learning. The authors also thank the students
enrolled in STAT2701, 1st semester of 2005, for their enthusiasm in
the project and willingness to share their reflections and experiences. The authors are grateful to Del Greenway for her valuable com74
Concentration
(%)
N
Absorbance (OD)
0
1
2
3
6
Mean
3
3
3
3
3
StDev
0.07067
0.1463
0.2170
0.1883
0.2337
0.01464
0.0231
0.0836
0.0410
0.0497
DF
SS
MS
Concentration (%)
4
0.05106
0.01276
5.37
(P value very small therefore significant)
Error
10
0.02377
0.00238
Total
14
0.07483
S = 0.04876
R-Sq = 68.23%
R-Sq(adj) = 55.53%
P
0.014
Center
Upper
Lower
0.07567
0.14633
0.11767
0.16300
0.20656
0.27723
0.24856
0.29389
0.07067
0.04200
0.08733
0.20156
0.17289
0.21823
0.10223
0.14756
a This report is an original student work: the grammar, discussions and formatting
are as presented by the student.
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