Lab report

Identifying Nutrients In Food

Purpose : To test for nutrients in several foods.
Materials :
- 5 test tubes - test tube rack -10-mL graduated cylinder
- 400-mL beaker - metric ruler - safety goggles
- brown paper - iodine solution - Benedict's solution
- burner or hotplate - Biuret regent - starch suspension
- dextrose solution - vegetable oil - egg albumin
- bread suspension - banana suspension - whole milk
- potato suspension

Procedure :
Part 1
1. Place 4 clean test tube in a test tube rack. Add 3 mL of starch solution to test tube 1; 3 mL of
dextrose solution to test tube 2; 3 mL of egg albumin (protein) to test tube 3; and 3 mL of water
to test tube 4.
2. To each of these test tubes add one drop of dilute iodine solution. Record any color change.
3. Wash the test tubes then repeat step1
4. To each of the test tubes, add 5 mL Benedicts solution. Place the test tubes in a 400-mL beaker
containing enough water to completely surround the contents of the test tubes. Heat the water in
the beaker to boiling; and then boil for three minutes. Record any color change.
5. Again wash the test tubes as in step 1
6. Add 3 mL of water to each of the four test tubes.
7. Add 5 drops of Biuret reagent to all four test tubes. Record any color change.
8. Because fats dont dissolve in water; a different test is needed to check for their presence. Place
a drop of the starch, dextrose, and protein solutions, plus a drop of vegetable oil on a piece of
brown paper. Hold the paper up to a light. Any sample containing fat will produce a translucent spot
on the paper. Describe the appearance of each sample in data table.
Part 2
9. Place 5 clean test tubes in a rack. Obtain 3-mL samples of the suspension of bread, banana, and
potato flakes prepared by your teacher. Also obtain 3-mL sample of fat-free and whole milk. Place
these in the test tubes. Test with iodine as in step 2 and record results.
10. Wash and prepare test tubes as in step 9 and test each sample with Benedicts solution as you did
in step 4. Record your data.
11. Wash and again prepare test tubes as in step 9. Test each sample with Biuret reagent as in step7.
Record your data.
12. Place a small amount of each of the five foods being tested on a piece of brown paper as in step 8
to test for the presence of fat.
Date: 13/12/13
Group members
Nattanit (Nam T.)
Thaksaporn (May)
Warattaya (Mook)
Kanyapat (Nuey)
Results :
Nutrient Tested Data Table
Test
Samples
Starch Glucose Egg albumin Water Vegetable oil
Iodine
Royal blue +
No color
change
No color
change
No color
change
-
Benedict Cloudy blue
Orange +
Light purple Blue -
Biuret
No color
change
No color
change
Purple +
No color
change
-
Brown
Paper
Wrinkly Wrinkly Wrinkly -
Translucent +


Food Tested Data Table
Test
Samples
Bread Banana Potato Milk
Iodine
Black +
Black (Only the
fruit) +
Black (Only the
fruit) +
No color change
Benedict
Ocean green + Green (grass) +
Blue
Green +
Biuret No color change No color change No color change
Cloudy purple +
Brown paper Wrinkly Wrinkly Wrinkly Wrinkly








note1 : '+' is positive result.
note2 : Of Benedict's solution, the original color is blue and the positive results are
yellow and red. When blue color and yellow color are mixed together, it will give green,
so green color is also a positive result. before turning from blue to yellow, it always
turns green.
note3 : The black color appeared only on the fruit because it contains starch but
starch does not come out of the fruit.
note : '+' is positive result.
Analyzing results :
1. With what type of food did each reagent react? What color changes indicated this?
=> Iodine test reacts with carbohydrates (starch; but only amylose, not amylopectin). The
color of reagent turns from brown to royal blue.
Benedict's solution reacts with simple carbohydrates (sugar; all monosaccharide and many
disaccharides, including lactose and maltose). The color of reagent turns from blue to green,
yellow, orange, or red.
Biuret reagent reacts with proteins. The color of reagent turns from blue to purple.
Brown paper reacts with lipids (fats). The paper becomes translucent.

2. What can you conclude about the nutrient content of each food tested?
=> When bread was tested with Iodine test and Benedict's solution, the color turned black
and green. So bread contained starch and sugar.
When banana was tested with Iodine test and Benedict's solution, the color turned black
and green. So banana contained starch and sugar. (But only
When potato was tested with Iodine test, the color turned black. So potato contained
starch.
When whole milk was tested with Benedict's solution and Biuret reagent, the color turned
green and purple. So whole milk contained sugar and protein.

3.Did any foods seem to contain only one type of nutrient? If so, explain.
=> Yes, the potato seemed to contain only starch of nutrient because only the result of iodine
test, which uses to test starch, has showed the positive result, the color turns black. Fresh
potato contains starch, which big molecules of sugar, so Benedicts solution will not show the
positive result. If we boil the potato before testing it, I think the potato will probably show the
positive result because the starch will become a smaller molecule.

4.How do whole milk and fat-free milk differ in nutrient content?
=> (Source : http://www.diffen.com/difference/Skim_Milk_vs_Whole_Milk)
Skim milk is produced by separating and removing the fat content from whole milk, and
then fortifying it with vitamin D and vitamin A. The fat content of whole milk is around 3.5%
while skim milk contains less than 0.2% fat. Lower fat content means skim milk has fewer
calories and less cholesterol compared with whole milk. This is usually good for weight loss or
for people with weak cardiovascular health.
Calories- One cup of whole milk has close to 150 calories while one cup of skim milk contains
about 90 calories.
Calcium- whether it's whole milk or skim milk, one cup provides 25-35% of one's daily calcium
requirement.
Fats- One cup of whole milk has 8g (grams) fat, 5g of which is saturated fat is considered risky
for cardiovascular health. However, the body needs some saturated fat for the production of
hormones, the stabilization of cellular membranes, the padding around organs, and for energy.
Cholesterol- Skim milk has lower cholesterol content than whole milk. One cup of whole milk
contains about 24mg of cholesterol, while a similar sized serving of skim milk only has 5mg
cholesterol.
The American Association of Pediatrics recommends skim milk for kids over two, but a
recent study has shown that children who drink skim milk tended to be heavier than those who
drank whole milk. Recently, there are some debates about that Skim milk is healthier than
whole milk, Right or Maybe Not?
In an editorial in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, Ludwig and nutrition expert Dr. Walter
Willett, chair of the department of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public
Health, argue that there is actually little data to support the idea that skim and low-fat milk
lead to better health outcomes than whole milk. Here are a few of their reasons.
1. Low-fat foods do not lower calorie consumption
2. Low-fat milk increases levels of triglyceride fats
3. The rise of sugar-sweetened flavored milk
However, with all the conflicting studies and information out there, its hard to decide if you
prefer whole or skim milk. For calorie, skim milk is definitely the lighter choice. But, if youre
looking at the whole picture, in terms of healthy fats, an abundance of nutrients, nutritional
balance and all of their associated benefits, then whole milk is the way to go. Whole milk is an
excellent and healthy addition to a clean and balanced diet.
Conclusion :
A reagent is made to test a specific nutrient. A reagent can test many nutrients, it is
inappropriate, such as iodine solution, it can test both starch and sugar, but to test sugar, it will
take long time to show the result because iodine test is made to test starch especially. We
always test starch with iodine test, sugar with Benedict's solution, proteins with biuret reagent
and oil with brown paper. As a positive result, iodine test gives royal blue and black, Benedict's
solution gives green, yellow, orange and red, biuret reagent gives purple and oil makes brown
paper translucent. Food can contains either one or more type of nutrient, for example, bread,
banana and whole milk contained two type of nutrients, but potato contained only one type.
Except the original color and the positive colors of a reagent, other colors can appear as well,
like the result of egg albumin tested with Benedict's solution is purple because egg albumin
contained copper and when it reacts with Benedict's solution, the color turns purple.