Testing Compounds in Foods: Lipid, Protein, Sugar, Starch

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on laboratory methods for testing compounds in foods, specifically lipids, proteins, sugars, and starches. The lipid test utilizes a paper towel to check for transparency, indicating the presence of lipids. For proteins, the participant tested albumin and received a negative result, while glucose was confirmed positive for sugars. The starch test also yielded a positive result. Common assays for protein quantification mentioned include Lowry, Coomassie Blue, and Bicinchoninic Acid (BCA) assays, with resources like Google Scholar and assay providers such as Pierce recommended for further exploration.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of lipid testing methods, specifically transparency tests.
  • Familiarity with protein assays, including Lowry, Coomassie Blue, and BCA.
  • Knowledge of carbohydrate testing, particularly for sugars and starches.
  • Basic laboratory skills for conducting food compound tests.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the Lowry protein assay for quantifying protein concentrations.
  • Explore the Coomassie Blue assay and its applications in protein analysis.
  • Learn about the Bicinchoninic Acid (BCA) assay for protein quantification.
  • Investigate various methods for testing starch presence in food samples.
USEFUL FOR

Food scientists, laboratory technicians, and educators involved in food chemistry and compound analysis will benefit from this discussion.

JimmyRay
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Hi we did a lab today for testing compounds in foods...

So basically the only way to detect if a lipid is present is by transparency? Like we used a paper towel, we added a few drops of the substance to the paper towel and then rubbed it today, if it was transparent it tested positive for lipid...

Is that the only indicator?

Is anyone familliar with the indicators for protein, sugar and starch? (Just want to see if I can check my results).

We tested these on Apple, Orange, Milk and Butter. For lipids we also used oil (positive), for protein we used albumin (I got negative), for sugar we used glucose (positive), for starch test we used.. starch (positive)
 
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Take a look at some of the more common assays for protein such as lowry, coomassie blue, bicinchoninnic acid (BCA). They are basically dye-binding assays which will quantify total protein in solution. A search on google scholar would be a place to start or check out an assay provider like Pierce.
 

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