Have you ever wondered what is in your food? Scientists use a variety of tests to determine the nutritional
content of food. You will learn four of those tests with the Identifying Nutrients Gizmo.
Directions: Follow t
...
Have you ever wondered what is in your food? Scientists use a variety of tests to determine the nutritional
content of food. You will learn four of those tests with the Identifying Nutrients Gizmo.
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation.
Respond to the questions and prompts in the orange boxes.
Gizmo Introduction:
Most food is composed of three types of molecules: carbohydrates, proteins,
and lipids.
- Carbohydrates such as starches and sugars are a major source of
energy. Simple sugars are found in sweets and fruits. Starches are
found in potatoes, cereal, pasta, flour, and other plant products.
- Proteins are used in body structures such as muscles, skin, and hair.
Rich sources of proteins include meats, dairy products, and beans.
- Lipids (fats and oils) are used for energy, insulation, and as an
essential building block of cells. Meats, dairy products, and oily plants
such as olives are rich in lipids.
Substance Does this contain carbohydrate, lipid, protein, or none?
Butter lipids
Oranges carbs
Corn or potatoes carbs
Egg whites protein
Water n/a
Activity A:
(~5 minutes)
Identifying
nutrients
Get the Gizmo ready:
● Click Reset.
● Drag Sample A into the Food sample holder.
Question: How do you test for carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids?
1. Test: The Benedict test is a test for monosaccharides; simple sugars like glucose or fructose
(fruit sugar). In contact with monosaccharides, the Benedict solution turns from blue to green to
orange.
Does Sample A contain monosaccharides? yes
Note: Disaccharides such as sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar) are more complex than
monosaccharides. The Benedict test does not detect disaccharides directly.
2. Test: The Lugol test uses iodine to test for starch, a polysaccharide (complex sugar). Iodine turns dark
purple in the presence of starch.
Under Lugol test, click Test. Does sample A contain starch? no
3. Test: The Biuret test uses a solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) and copper sulfate (CuSO4) to test
for protein. The Biuret solution turns purple when proteins are present
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