McMush Lab

McMush

Introduction:
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and other nutrients  provide your body with energy  necessary to carry on life activities. These compounds are present in the plants and animals you use as food. In this lab, you will test for specific compounds and then determine if those compounds are present in ordinary foods.

Objective:
To determine the compounds present in food.

Materials
McDonald’s Happy Meal (fries + drink included) (no toy!), beaker, graduated cylinder, test tubes, test tube clamp,  hot plate, Benedict’s solution, Biuret solution,  Indophenol (DPIP) solution, Lugol’s iodine solution,  1% silver nitrate solution, blender

Procedure:
Part I – Testing of Known Substances

Protein test: 

1. Place 5 ml of the gelatin solution into your test tube.
2. Add ten drops of Biuret solution.
3. Observe any color change 

Glucose test:

1. Place 5 ml of the glucose solution into your test tube.
2. Add 3 ml of Benedict’s solution.
3. Place the tube in a beaker of boiling water and boil for five minutes
4. Use test tube clamps to hold hot test tubes.
5. Observe any color change 

Starch test:

1. Place 5 ml of the starch solution into your test tube.
2. Add 5 drops of Lugol’s iodine solution.
3. Observe any color change

Vitamin C test:

1. Place 5 ml of the vitamin C solution into your test tube.
2. Add 5 drops of indophenol solution.
3. Observe any color change

Chloride test:

1. Place 5 ml of the salt solution into your test tube.
2. Add 5 drops of silver nitrate solution.
3. Observe any color change.

Record your results in a data table: 

Procedure:
Part II – Testing McMush

1. Place the Happy in a blender. Add enough water to cover and blend until you get an emulsion.
2. Filter the mush in to a beaker.
3. Predict the substances you will find in the McMush solution. Record your predictions in the data table using   a “ +” or “-“.
4. Repeat the reagent tests above using 5 ml of the McMush solution.
5. Describe and record your results.

Adapted from a lab by C. Sheldon