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Biochemical Tests in Food Analysis

This lab aimed to identify biochemicals like sugars, starches, lipids, and proteins in their pure forms and in various food samples through a series of tests. Reducing sugars like glucose reacted positively in Benedict's test, turning blue-black. Starch interacted with iodine to also appear blue-black in the starch test. Lipids formed emulsions when shaken with water in the emulsion test. Proteins caused a color change to purple in the Biuret test. Tests on food samples like pizza, apple, milk and juice found reducing sugars, starches, lipids and proteins present in varying amounts depending on the type of food.

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64 views2 pages

Biochemical Tests in Food Analysis

This lab aimed to identify biochemicals like sugars, starches, lipids, and proteins in their pure forms and in various food samples through a series of tests. Reducing sugars like glucose reacted positively in Benedict's test, turning blue-black. Starch interacted with iodine to also appear blue-black in the starch test. Lipids formed emulsions when shaken with water in the emulsion test. Proteins caused a color change to purple in the Biuret test. Tests on food samples like pizza, apple, milk and juice found reducing sugars, starches, lipids and proteins present in varying amounts depending on the type of food.

Uploaded by

Nick Miller
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CAPE BIOLOGY UNIT 1 FOOD TESTS

LAB #1 DATE:

TITLE: Identification of biochemicals in pure form and in food samples.


AIM: [Link] carry out tests on the pure form of reducing sugars, starch, proteins and lipids to master techniques
and become familiar with the colour changes.
2. To identify the biochemicals present in pizza, apple, milk and fruit juice.

INTRODUCTION:
Carbohydrates are classed into three groups, monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.
Monosaccharides are reducing sugars and include glucose and fructose. They can be identified by the Benedict’s
test. Disaccharides are non-reducing sugars and include sucrose and maltose. To identify a disaccharide, a non-
reducing sugar test is done which first involves the acid hydrolysis of the disaccharide and then the Benedict’s test
is carried out. Polysaccharides are insoluble molecules such as starch and can be identified by the Iodine test. In
the presence of starch, iodine molecules become entrapped within the starch molecules forming a starch-iodine
complex that has a blue-black colour.
Fats are compounds made up of fatty acids and glycerol. Lipids or fats can be identified in a variety of ways, but
the most popular is the Emulsion test and the Grease Spot test. When shaken with water, fats will form an
emulsion that is cloudy white or opaque.
Proteins are polypeptides made from amino acids held together with peptide bonds. They are the most abundant
organic molecules to be found in cells, and have a wide range of structural and metabolic activities within the
organism. Proteins can be identified using the Biuret test. In the Biuret test, Biuret reagent made up of sodium
hydroxide and copper sulphate which is blue will react with the peptide bonds and turn purple. Hence a purple
colour indicates a positive reaction for proteins.
APPARATUS AND MATERIALS:

 Waterbath  Glass rod  Glucose solution


 Tripod stand  Benedict’s solution  Starch solution
 Bunsen burner  Dilute HCl  Oil
 15 test tubes  Ethanol  Egg solution
 Test tube holder  KOH or NaOH  Milk
 5 5ml syringes  CuSO4  Fruit juice
 Teat pipette  I2/KI solution  Pizza
 Labels  Apple
 Sucrose solution

METHOD:
See: Biological Sciences by Taylor, Green and Stout – Page 111- 113
Remember: Write in past tense.

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This study source was downloaded by 100000839469445 from [Link] on 01-06-2022 14:22:39 GMT -06:00

[Link]
CAPE BIOLOGY UNIT 1 FOOD TESTS
RESULTS:

Table showing the colour changes to identify pure form of biochemicals and those present in foods.

TEST SOLUTION TESTED OBSERVATIONS INFERENCE


BENEDICT’S TEST Glucose
Bread/ pizza
REDUCING SUGAR Apple
TEST Milk
Juice
STARCH TEST Starch
Bread/ pizza
Apple
Milk
Juice
EMULSION TEST Oil
-LIPIDS Bread/ pizza
Apple
Milk
Juice
BIURET TEST - Egg albumen
PROTEIN TEST Bread/ pizza
Apple
Milk
Juice

DISCUSSION: This has to be an explanation of the steps in your method, and an explanation of what you observed.
POINTS TO DISCUSS:
1. Discuss the basis for each test with respect to the pure sample tested. – bonds involved in forming the
colour changes observed. Include also:
a. Why is Benedict’s solution blue?
b. Why are reducing sugars so called?
c. How does starch interact with iodine molecules?
2. If you test a food and find that it contains a simple sugar (reducing sugar), there is no point in doing the non-
reducing sugar test. Why not? but answer the following:
a. What is the purpose of the HCl and the NaOH in the non-reducing sugar test?
3. Why did you cut food into small pieces and try to dissolve it in water before you did the food tests?
4. Discuss what the results showed with respect to each biochemical that was found in the food tested; and
possibly state the amount of reducing sugar present in each food stuff.
5. Give an overall statement on the nutritional content of the bread/pizza, apple, milk and juice.
6. Which of those four food stuffs would be best to give a baby, a young boy, an adult, etc?
CONCLUSION:
This must be a statement (paragraph) related to your aim, and of course, summarise your findings based on your
results.

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This study source was downloaded by 100000839469445 from [Link] on 01-06-2022 14:22:39 GMT -06:00

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Common questions

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In the non-reducing sugar test, hydrochloric acid (HCl) is used to hydrolyze disaccharides into their monosaccharide components, which can then act as reducing sugars. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is then used to neutralize the solution after acid hydrolysis before performing the Benedict’s test to detect the presence of newly formed reducing sugars .

Milk was identified as the food item with the most comprehensive nutritional content as it contained proteins (Biuret test positive), reducing sugars (Benedict's test positive), and fats (emulsion test positive). This diverse range of nutrients fulfills more dietary needs compared to pizza, apple, or juice, which did not test positive for all three macronutrient categories .

In the iodine test, iodine molecules interact with the helical structure of starch, forming a starch-iodine complex. This complex results in a blue-black color, indicating the presence of starch. The iodine molecules fit inside the coiled structure of the amylose component of starch, which causes the characteristic color change .

Nutritional content analysis helps identify the presence and abundance of essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in food items, thus guiding dietary choices that support health and well-being. It enables individuals to tailor their diet to fulfill nutrient requirements, prevent deficiencies, and manage conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease .

Cutting food samples into small pieces and dissolving them in water increases the surface area exposed to chemical reagents, facilitating more efficient contact and reaction. This preparation increases the likelihood of detecting biochemical presence through the color changes in tests like the Benedict's, iodine, and Biuret tests .

Visual observation of color changes can be subjective and affected by variations in concentration, leading to inaccurate identification of biochemical compounds. Environmental factors like lighting and observer bias, along with the methodological precision in preparing reagents and samples, may also impact the reliability and reproducibility of results, making quantification less exact .

The Benedict's test involves the reduction of Cu2+ ions to Cu+ ions in the presence of reducing sugars. This reduction results in the formation of a red precipitate of copper(I) oxide, which causes the solution to change color from blue to brick-red depending on the concentration of the reducing sugars present .

The Biuret test is used to determine the presence of proteins in a food sample. The presence of proteins is indicated by a color change in the Biuret reagent from blue to purple upon interaction with peptide bonds, confirming the presence of proteins .

If a sample tests positive for reducing sugars, it indicates the presence of monosaccharides or disaccharides that can donate electrons. Since non-reducing sugar tests specifically identify sugars that do not initially reduce the Benedict's solution, performing this test would be redundant and provide no additional information .

Milk is most suitable for babies due to its complete nutritional profile, including proteins, fats, and sugars. For young boys, apple or juice could serve as a carbohydrate source, but milk again provides broader nutritional value. Adults may benefit from the varied nutrients in all three but focusing on balanced consumption of protein (from milk), vitamins and fiber (from apple), and hydration with minerals (from juice) would be ideal .

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