Namitha Gikson

SBI 4U1- Period 5 Mr. L. Turco

Monday, September 23, 2019
Nutrient Testing Lab Report
Purpose:
The purpose of this lab was to conduct a series of regulated, consistent tests in order to determine
whether simple sugars, starches, proteins and fats are present in certain food items. The foods
used in this experiment were Triscuit Thin Crisps Original by Christie, Neilson 18% Table
Cream, WowButter Crunchy Peanut Free Spread, Spam Luncheon Meat- Regular and a medium
ripe banana. The tests conducted for each macromolecule were as follows: Benedict’s Test for
sugars, Biuret Test for proteins, Iodine Test for starches and a Brown Paper Test for fats.
Observations:
Standardized Test Results for the Presence of Macromolecules in Different Foods
Food Samples Benedict’s Test Biuret Test for Iodine Test for Brown Bag Test
Used: for Sugars Proteins Starches for Fats
Neilson 18%
Table Cream Orange Violet Brown Opaque

Christie Triscuit
Thin Crisps Orange Blue Blue/ Black Transparent
Original
WowButter
Crunchy Peanut Blue Violet Brown Translucent
Free Spread
Regular Spam
Luncheon Meat Blue Violet Black Transparent

Medium Ripe
Banana Orange Blue Black Transparent

Conclusion:
Over the course of this lab experiment, many conclusions were drawn about the presence
of different macromolecules present in the food items tested.
The first item to be tested was Neilson’s 18% Table Cream. According to the results for
the lab, Neilson’s 18% Table Cream contains sugar. When a solution consisting of Benedict’s
solution and the diluted table cream were heated on the hot plate, it turned orange, meaning a
positive result as sugar was present in it. This is confirmed to be true since the nutritional facts for
the cream states that it contains 1g of sugar per 15mL of product (Creams: Neilson Dairy). The
table cream also contains protein since the Biuret solution turned violet, indicating a positive result.
This is also an accurate reading since the nutrition table for the cream states that it contains 0.3g
of protein per 15mL of cream (Creams: Neilson Dairy). The iodine test that was conducted on the
table cream indicated a negative result, leading to a conclusion that table cream does not contain
starch. This was further backed up by the nutrition label of the product which does not even list
starch as being part of the ingredients (Creams: Neilson Dairy). The last test that was conducted
with the table cream was a brown paper test to see if it contains fat. The paper was opaque,
indicating a negative result meaning table cream does not contain fat. Upon further research, this
result was proved to be untrue as table cream contains 2.5g of fat per 15mL of cream (Creams:
Neilson Dairy). This error could have been due to poor judgement while observing the paper.
The second item that was tested was Christie’s Triscuit Thin Crisps Original. According to
the result of the Benedict’s Solution, Triscuits contains sugar. However, further research indicated
that there is no sugar present at all in Triscuits (Triscuit Thin Crisps, Original: Fooducate). The
error must have been a result of poor judgement while reading the colour of the solution. The
second test that was conducted was the Biuret test for proteins. The solution turned blue indicating
that there is no protein in the product. Research indicated that there is protein in Triscuits so this
could be because the protein levels were too low to detect with the Biuret solution. According to
the nutritional label, Triscuits contain only 3g of protein per 15 crackers (Triscuit Thin Crisps,
Original: Fooducate). The iodine test indicated a positive result for the presence of starch since the
solution turned dark blue/ black. This was confirmed to be true since the nutrition facts of the
product states that it contains 21g of carbohydrates per 15 crackers (Triscuit Thin Crisps, Original:
Fooducate). Since, Triscuits contains no sugar, the carbohydrate value must come from the starch
the product contains. The last test that was conducted for the Triscuits was the brown paper test to
check whether fat is present or not. The paper was transparent, indicating that fat was present in
the solution. This was confirmed to be true since the nutrition values state that there is 4.5g of fat
per 15 crackers (Triscuit Thin Crisps, Original: Fooducate).
The third item that was tested was WowButter Crunchy Peanut Free Spread. It is an
alternative to peanut butter, making it convenient for people suffering from allergies. The first test
conducted was the Benedict’s test for sugar. The solution stayed blue, indicating a negative result
for sugar. However, the nutritional facts for the product states that there is 4g of sugar per 2
tablespoons of WowButter (WowButter is Better than Peanut Butter: WowButter). This error could
have been due to the fact that the sugar levels in the product were too low for the solution to detect.
The second test was the Biuret test to test for the presence of protein. The solution turned violet,
indicating a positive result. This is confirmed to be true since research states that WowButter
contains 7g of protein per 2 tablespoons (WowButter is Better than Peanut Butter: WowButter).
The third test was the iodine test to test for the presence of starch. The solution turned brown,
indicating a negative result. This is also backed up by the nutrition label since starch is not even
mentioned as a product of the ingredients (WowButter is Better than Peanut Butter: WowButter).
The last test that was conducted was the brown bag test to check for the presence of fats. The paper
turned translucent, indicating a positive result. This can be confirmed by the nutritional label which
states that there is 15g of fat per 2 tablespoons of WowButter (WowButter is Better than Peanut
Butter: WowButter).
The fourth item to be tested was Regular Spam Luncheon Meat. The first test conducted
was the Benedict’s test for sugar. The solution stayed blue, indicating a negative result for the
presence of sugar. This was confirmed to be true by the nutritional label for Spam which indicates
that there is 0g of sugar per 56g of Spam (Nutrition Facts For Spam: MyFoodDiary). The second
test that was conducted was the Biuret test for the presence of proteins. The solution turned violet,
indicating a positive result. This was also confirmed to be true since the nutritional facts for Spam
indicates there is 7g of protein per 56g of Spam (Nutrition Facts For Spam: MyFoodDiary). The
third test that was conducted was the iodine test to detect the presence of starch. The solution
turned black indicating the presence of starch. This does not corroborate with research which
indicates that Spam does not contain any starch (Nutrition Facts For Spam: MyFoodDiary). This
error must have been due to poor judgement while reading the colour. The last test that was
conducted was the brown bag test to check for the presence of fats. The paper turned transparent,
indicating a positive result. This can be confirmed by the nutritional label which states that Spam
contains 16g of fat per 56g of Spam (Nutrition Facts For Spam: MyFoodDiary).
The last item to be tested was a medium ripe banana. According to the results for the lab,
the banana contained sugar. When a solution consisting of Benedict’s solution and the diluted
banana were heated on the hot plate, it turned orange, meaning a positive result as sugar was
present in it. This was confirmed to be true since research indicates that 225g of banana contains
27.5g of sugar (Bananas, Raw: Nutrition Facts and Calories). The banana, however, does not
contain protein since the Biuret solution remained blue, indicating a negative result. This does not
corroborate with research since the nutrition table for a banana states that it contains 2.5g of protein
per 225g of banana (Bananas, Raw: Nutrition Facts and Calories). This could have been due to
protein levels too low to be detected by the Biuret solution. The iodine test that was conducted on
the banana indicated a positive result, leading to a conclusion that bananas do contain starch. This
aligns with the research since bananas contain 12.1g of starch per 225g of banana (Bananas, Raw:
Nutrition Facts and Calories). The last test that was conducted was the brown bag test to check for
the presence of fats. The paper turned transparent, indicating a positive result.This can be
confirmed by the nutritional label that indicates bananas contain 0.7g of fat per 225g .
 Bibliography

Bananas, Raw: Nutrition Facts & Calories. (2018). Retrieved September 21, 2019, from

Nutrition Data website: https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2

Creams | Neilson Dairy. (2017). Retrieved September 21, 2019, from Neilson Dairy website:

http://www.neilsondairy.com/en/products/creams

Nutrition Facts for Spam. (2019). Retrieved September 21, 2019, from My Food Diary website:

https://www.myfooddiary.com/foods/3761/spam

Triscuit Thin Crisps, Original. (2010). Retrieved September 21, 2019, from Fooducate website:

https://www.fooducate.com/product/Triscuit-Thin-Crisps-Original/8AA9DDCE-D3E0-

11E1-956E-1231381BA074

WOWBUTTER Is Better than Peanut Butter! (2017). Retrieved September 21, 2019, from Wow

Butter website: https://wowbutter.com/btpb