Macromolecules Lab Report

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Detecting the presence of macromolecules in foodstuffs
Introduction
The purpose of this lab was to ascertain if certain macromolecules are present in different food samples, specifically samples from McDonald’s. The hypothesis was that the chicken nuggets and cheeseburger would contain proteins, the french fries would contain starch, the apples would contain carbohydrates, and the sprite would contain glucose.
There are four organic molecules that are present in every living organism: Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. These are known as macromolecules, and are large, carbon-based structures. These molecules are created when several monomers are joined together and a molecule of water is removed. This is known as dehydration …show more content…
As such, all the solutions that responded to the addition of the solutions by changing color indicated the presence of macromolecules. Based on this, the sprite, french fries, and chicken nuggets contained macromolecules that they were predicted to contain, with the sprite containing glucose, the french fries containing starch, and the chicken nuggets containing lipids. Contrary to speculation and popular belief, the chicken nuggets and cheeseburger were devoid of proteins, despite being meat.
Although unlikely, there were potential sources of error. It is possible that incorrect amounts of solution were added to the McMush solution. This could have affected the rate at which the change in color occurred, and could lead to an incorrect conclusion regarding the amount of macromolecules present in a certain food sample. Additionally, it’s possible to have used the incorrect substance for certain tests, such as using starch for the Biuret Test. If this were to occur, the results would be compromised, since no color change would be present.

Citation Laying the Foundation in Biology, 2004. McMush: Testing for the Presence of
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