Measuring The Energy Content of Food

Below is a simplified version of an experiment to measure the energy content of food.

20 cm3 water Thermometer

Burning Peanut
Mounted Needle

The results of the experiment are shown in the table below

Temperature of water Temperature of water

Mass
before heating after heating
Peanut 1g 17 oC 95 oC
Bread 1g 19 oC 40 oC
(a) Calculate the rise in temperature of the water with:
(i) the peanut.

78 degrees Celsius

[1]
(ii) the bread

21 degrees Celsius

[1]
(b) Not all the heat given off by the burning food is absorbed by the water. Give two reasons for this.

Some of the heat would go into the air and some would go into the glass

[2]
(c) The amount of heat absorbed by the water using the following formula
4.2  amount of water  temperature rise = heat absorbed

Peanut = 6552
Bread = 1764

[2]
(d) What is the relationship between the temperature rise and the energy content of a food?

The higher the temperature rise the higher the energy content

[1]
(e) What is present in the peanut that makes it burn readily ?

Oil
[1]
GCSE BIOLOGY NUTRITION

(f) What is left at the end of the experiment when the foods are completely burnt?

Cinders
[1]
TOTAL /