Simple Tests for Various Organic

Components of the Protoplasm

Dorothy D. Silva
Saint Louis Univeristy
Benedict’s Reagent
 Benedict's reagent is a chemical reagent named after an
American chemist, Stanley Rossiter Benedict

 Benedict's reagent is used in a test (Benedict's test) commonly

used for the presence of reducing sugar(s), however other
reducing substances also give a positive reaction. This includes
all monosaccharides and many disaccharides, including lactose
and maltose. Even more generally, Benedict's test will detect
the presence of aldehydes, and alpha-hydroxy-ketones,
including those that occur in certain ketoses. Thus, although
the ketose fructose is not strictly a reducing sugar, it is an
alpha-hydroxy-ketone, and gives a positive test because it is
converted to the aldoses glucose and mannose by the base in
the reagent.
 A positive test with Benedict's reagent is shown by a
colour change from clear blue to a brick-red precipitate.
One litre of Benedict's reagent can be prepared from 100
g of anhydrous sodium carbonate, 173 g of sodium citrate
and 17.3 g of copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate.[3] It is often
used in place of Fehling's solution.
 Benedict's reagent can be used to test for the presence of
glucose in urine. Glucose in urine is called glucosuria and
can be indicative of diabetes mellitus, but the test is not
recommended or used for the diagnosis of diabetes
mellitus. False positive reaction can be due to the
presence of other reducing substances in urine such as
ascorbic acid (during intake of vitamin supplements),
drugs (levodopa, contrast used in radiological procedures)
and homogentisic acid (alkaptonuria).
Starch content
 Rice
 Brown rice (raw) 80.0
 (boiled) 31.6
 Savoury rice (raw) 73.8
 (cooked) 25.1
 White rice (easy cook, raw) 85.8
 (easy cook, boiled)
 (fried in lard, dripping) 23.1

 Beans and lentils
 Blackeye beans (dried raw) 47.5
 (dried, boiled in unsalted water) 18.0
 Broad beans (frozen, boiled in unsalted
water) 10.0
 Butter beans (canned, re-heated, drained)
10.9
 Chick peas (whole, dried, raw) 43.8
 (dried, boiled in unsalted water) 16.6
 (canned, re-heated, drained) 15.1
 Green beans/French beans (raw) 0.9
 (frozen, boiled in unsalted water) 2.6
 Hummus 9.3
 Lentils (green and brown, whole, dried, raw)
44.5
(dried, boiled in salted water) 15.9

 (red, split, dried, raw) 50.8
 (dried, boiled in unsalted water) 16.2
 Mung beans (whole, dried, raw) 40.9
 (dried, boiled in unsalted water) 14.1
 Red kidney beans (dried raw) 38.0
 (dried, boiled in unsalted water) 14.5
 (canned, re-heated, drained) 12.8
 Runner beans (raw) 0.4
 (boiled in unsalted water) 0.3
 Soya beans (dried raw) 4.8
 (dried, boiled in unsalted water) 1.9
 Tofu (soya bean, steamed) 0.3
 (steamed fried) 0.9
 Bananas 2.3 (These are proportions for yellow ripe
bananas.
 Coconut (creamed block) 0
 (dessicated) 0
 Coconut milk 0
 Meat 0
 Lemon peel 0
 Lemons (whole, without pips) 0
 Peanuts (plain) 6.3
 (dry roasted) 6.5
 (roasted and salted) 3.3
 New potatoes (average, raw) 14.8
 (boiled in unsalted water) 16.7
 (in skins, boiled in unsalted water) 14.4
 (canned, re-heated, drained) 14.4

 Main crop potatoes

 Old potatoes (average, raw) 16.6

 (baked, flesh and skin) 30.5
 (baked, flesh only) 17.3
 (boiled in unsalted water) 16.3
 (mashed with butter) 14.5
 (roast in blended oil) 25.3
 (roast in corn oil) 25.3
 (roast in lard) 25.3