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William Quiroz

9/2/14
Azuree- 01
In the calorimeter lab we will be igniting cheese puffs below 100mL of water as
this will help us determine the energy content of the cheese puff. Calorimetry is a technique that
is used to determine the amount of heat that is involved in a chemical reaction. The purpose of
performing this lab is to determine the amount of calories in the cheese puff, and to prove
cheese puffs have stored energy, and replicate the process which takes place in our body as we
consume foods. As we digest foods our body burns up the food breaking it down and
converting the chemical energy into a different form of energy we need to survive. We will prove
this by measuring the heat energy given off from the cheese puff to the water. Our food contains
energy that we need every day to perform even the most basic tasks. The cheese puffs that we
are using in the calorimetry lab do contain energy which we will measure in calories, a unit
which measures the energy content in food. I believe the cheese puffs will contain energy
because they contain calories, a measurement of energy which is the amount of energy it takes
to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree celsius.

The data collected after performing this lab supports the hypothesis that states
cheese puffs do contain energy which was measured in calories. Each trial performed
demonstrated that when the cheese puff was burned the temperature of the water increased
which proves a transfer of energy. Each trial showed an increase of more than 10 degrees
celsius to the water the increase in temperature proves the water received energy from the food
that was burned. To further my investigation of the calorie content in food I would test foods low
in fat and compare with foods higher in fat which contain the same amount of calories to
demonstrate it does not matter what type of food it is, or the main type of energy yielding
nutrient in the food, if the calorie count is the same than it will give off the same amount of heat
energy.
Most foods contain all three energy-yielding nutrients which are carbohydrates,lipids,
and proteins these nutrients are the energy in foods which is then absorbed as we ingest foods.

William Quiroz
9/2/14
Azuree- 01
The nutrient atoms are then broken down through the metabolism process, as these bonds
break energy is released or is stored as fat. Foods begin as chemical energy, but is then altered
to mechanical,heat, or electrical energy by the body for use in everyday needs.The energy
density among food does not tell the full story of the nutritional benefits the food may provide
our body. The three energy-yielding nutrients are carbohydrates, lipids, and protein. Carbs
provide 4 kcalories, protein 4, and lipids 9 meals that contain 30 grams of protein provide 120
calories but if a food contains 30 grams of fat it will provide you with 270 calories. That is why
many people tend to avoid foods high in fat because a small amount of food can cause you to
have a surplus of calories, overnutrition, and obesity. Choosing foods higher in energy density
carbohydrates and protein allows people to eat more and be satisfied and attain more nutrients
while maintaining lower calories per gram in their foods. The data from our lab was lower than
the 4.64 calories recorded on the nutrition label of the cheese puffs there are several
possibilities to explain why this occurred beginning with the fact that each cheese puff is not the
same weight meaning the energy content will be different. The calorimeter we used for the lab
will be different than the one used by food industries possibly altering results making our results
far less accurate. Equipment used may cause differences in results such as the density of soda
cans as everyone brought their own there is no consistency in the equipment. The lab instructed
students to cut two sides of one of the can in which the food will be placed and burned, causing
room for error as students may not place the food fully in the middle allowing some of the heat
energy to exit the sides and not be transferred to the water altering the change in temperature.
The data we collected was then compared to groups around us and found our results were
about the same distance to 4.64 calories as most groups since results were usually around 1.5
calories, only two groups had results of 3.0 and 6.1 calories. Our results matched the majority of
the classes results of burning cheese puffs. The calorimetry lab performed allowed us to better
understand the energy in our foods, and how energy transfer occurs.

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