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Unit 1: Macromolecules: Food tests 

After responding to your feedback we shall go back to our Unit 1 work on Food Molecules and
today we shall be looking at a practical that we are all familiar with; Using a semi-quantitative
method with Benedict’s reagent to estimate the concentrations of reducing sugars and with
iodine solution to estimate the concentrations of starch, using colour standards. 
 
 
Todays task; PLANNING AN INVESTIGATION  
  
Step 1. Please go through the steps of carrying out food tests in the following video 
Food Tests - Iodine, Biuret, Benedict's, Ethanol, DCPIP 
 
https://youtu.be/sLP8dcnWnJg outu.be/sLP8dcnWnJ
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Food tests investigation

Testing for starch

1) Place your food on a dropping tile.

2) Drop a few drops of iodine solution onto the food.
3) Record your results and answer the questions.

Food Colour Is starch present?

Fruit juice Orange-yellow No
Egg white Orange-yellow No
Starch Blue-Black Yes
Oil Orange-yellow No
Water Orange-yellow No

1) What colour do you see when starch is present?

Blue-black

2) What colour do you see when starch is not present?

Remains Orange-yellow

Testing for Protein

1) Put your food in a test tube.

2) Add a few drops of the biuret solution.
3) Record the results and answer the questions.
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Food Colour Is protein present?

Fruit Juice Light green No
Egg white Purple/Violet/Lilac Yes
Starch Light blue No
Oil Light blue No
Water A ting light blue No

1) What foods had protein in them?

Egg white only

2) What colour change did you see when protein was present?
Purple/Violet/Lilac

Testing for glucose (a sugar)

1) Add the food to a test tube.

2) Add the Benedict’s solution.
3) Put in a water bath and leave for 5-10 minutes.
4) Record your results and answer the questions?

Food Colour Is glucose present?

Fruit Juice Yellow Yes
Egg white White No
Starch Light Blue No
Oil White + light blue layers No
Water Light blue No

1) What colour changes did you see when glucose was present?

Depending on the amount of reducing sugars

Least reducing sugars  most reducing sugars

Green > yellow > orange > brick red precipitate

2) What did you see when no glucose was present?

White or light blue
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Testing for fat

Emulsion test for lipids

1. Place two spatulas of the food sample into a test tube or 1 cm 3 if the
sample is liquid.
2. Add 2 cm3 of ethanol to the tube. Cover the end of the tube and shake
the tube vigorously.
3. Allow the contents to settle.
4. Pour the liquid from the top of the mixture into a test tube half-filled
with water.
5. Record the level of the food and whether the water is cloudy or clear.
Lipids are detected using the emulsion test. This is what happens:

1. The test substance is mixed with 2 cm3 of ethanol.

2. An equal volume of distilled water is added.
3. A milky-whiteemulsion forms if the test substance contains lipids.
Risks

 Potassium hydroxide can be harmful to skin and eyes.

 Hot water can scald.

Food Does it turn Is fat present?

milky/cloudy white?
Fruit juice No No
Egg white No No
Starch No No
Oil Yes Yes
Water No No

1) What food contained fat?

Oil only
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Test for Vitamins C

Write down the steps of how to test for Vitamin C.

 Fill your test tubes with DCPIP without your samples present in the test
tubes.
 Add your sample into the test tube, drops at a time and gently shake as
you are doing this
 The DCPIP might turn pinky purple first but this is because of the acidity
and it doesn’t reflect vitamin C being present
 Keep adding your sample and shaking, if vitamin C is present, you’ll notice
that your DCPIP turns colourless
 Repeat this process for each of your samples.

Create a table and record the results as presented in the video.

Food Does it turn Colourless Is Vitamin C present?

Fruit Juice Yes Yes
Egg white No No
Starch No No
Oil No No
Water No No