The purpose of this experiment was to determine the amount of all-trans-lycopene present in a can of tomato paste in order to determine the quality of the tomato paste. This was achieved by proper separation of lycopene from the other pigments in the tomato paste through column chromatography. The column was able to achieve proper separation given the high polarity of the packing, alumina. Given alumina’s high polarity, the pigments present in the tomato paste with a greater polarity would travel more slowly through the column than the molecules with a lower polarity. Due to the fact that each pigment presented as a different color, in addition to variations in polarity, the separation of lycopene was made possible. The yellow band, composed of carotenes, traveled the quickest through the column, suggesting it was the least polar pigment present. If it were more polar, it …show more content…
would have had a stronger attraction to the polar alumina and would have traveled slower through the column. The lycopene band was the next to travel down the column, and finally the xanthophyll band; the same logic can be applied to these pigments in regards to their polarity. However, the xanthophyll band was the last to travel through the column given the hydroxyl groups present; these hydroxyl groups were strongly attracted to the polar alumina. Lycopene, in its all-trans form, is a very beneficial antioxidant with numerous health benefits.
According to Shi (2010), “lycopene in fresh tomato fruits occurs essentially in the all-trans configuration.” Given this information, the percentage of all-trans-lycopene obtained from this experiment was low, 59.09%. However, this data does not necessarily reflect poorly on the canned tomato itself. Given that lycopene will isomerize if presented to heat or light, the isomerization could have occurred during the experiment, rather than during processing of the tomato paste. The isomerization of all-trans-lycopene to 13-cis-lycopene occurs through an additional input of energy that excites electrons; this causes the electrons to transition into a higher energy state. This transition causes lycopene to take on a bent shape, rather than its all-trans linear shape. However, since there is no method to determine if this isomerization occurred during the experiment or while the product underwent processing, there is no definite conclusion on the quality of the canned tomato product used in this
experiment. Conclusions Overall, this experiment was successful in isolating lycopene from tomato paste and determining the percentage of all-trans-lycopene present in the tomato paste. While the experimental percentage of all-trans-lycopene was low in this experiment, it does not necessarily reflect poorly on the quality of the tomato paste given that the isomerization to 13-cis-lycopene could have occurred during the experiment itself. In the end, if this experiment were to be repeated, a greater care would be taken to limit the light exposure to the tomato paste. The red pigment that gives fruits, such as tomatoes, their red color is the all-trans form of lycopene. However, excessive exposure to heat or light can convert some of the red pigment into lycopene’s 13-cis isomer. Given this information, it can be concluded that if a significant amount of the 13-cis isomer is found in a canned tomato product, then the product was exposed to excess heat or light during processing. In this experiment, column chromatography was utilized to separate the components of the canned tomato paste. These components include lycopene, carotenes, and xanthophylls; the separation was made possible given the inherit characteristics of these components, such as polarity. Upon separation of the lycopene portion from the tomato paste, the sample was then analyzed by an ultraviolet visible spectrum. Due to the 13-cis isomer absorbing at a lower wavelength than the all-trans isomer, the intensities of the two peaks observed can be used to estimate the percentage of all-trans-lycopene in the tomato paste. Overall, the purpose of this experiment was to determine the approximate percentage of all-trans-lycopene in a commercial can of tomato paste in order to assess the quality of the product. Procedure and Observations First, the chromatography column was prepared by packing a Pasteur pipet with 1.5-2.0 g of neutral Brockmann grade II-III alumina; the column was then clamped to a ring stand over a beaker. Next, approximately 1.0g of tomato paste was placed in a 15mL screw cap centrifuge tube. The solid material was extracted by shaking the tube with 4mL of a 50% by volume mixture of acetone and low boiling petroleum ether until the solid residue appeared fluffy. The extract was then separated with centrifugation and transferred to a different centrifuge tube. The extraction was then repeated with another 4mL portion of 50% mixture of acetone and petroleum either; once complete, the extracts were combined. The combined extracts were then washed with 5mL of saturated NaCl, followed by 5mL of 10% aqueous potassium chloride, and finally another 5mL portion of saturated NaCl. The lycopene-containing organic layer was then dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate and collected in a 5mL conical vial that was concentrated to a volume of 0.1-0.2mL by evaporating under dry nitrogen without heating. Next, the chromatography column was saturated with the first eluent, hexanes, and the liquid was drained until the surface disappeared into the alumina layer. The lycopene extract was immediately transferred to the top of the column with a Pasteur pipet. Once the extract surface disappeared into the alumina, the column was filled with eluent again; the eluent was added to keep the level constant as the separation took place. Once the yellow carotene band began to drain out of the column, the top of the column was filled with the second eluent, 10% acetone in hexanes, and the eluent was applied as before to keep the levels constant. Once the orange-red lycopene band began to leave the column, the beaker underneath was replaced with the collection vial and was collected until the band was gone. Once the lycopene band was collected, half of the lycopene was transferred to a 1cm sample cell with 10% acetone/hexanes to fill the cell approximately ¾ full. Finally, the spectrum of the lycopene sample was recorded over the 600-400nm range, and the results were analyzed.
The beet Lab experiment was tested to examine bio-membranes and the amount of betacyanin extracted from the beets. The betacyanin is a reddish color because it transmits wavelengths in red color and absorbs most other colors. The membrane is composed of a phospholipid bilayer with proteins embedded in it. The phospholipid bilayer forms a barrier that is impermeable to many substances like large hydrophilic molecules. The cells of beets are red and have large vacuoles that play a big role for the reddish pigment. This experiment aimed to answer the question, “How do cell membranes work?” The hypothesis we aim to test is: Cell membranes work as a fluid mosaic bilayer of phospholipids with many embedded proteins. We predicted that the 50% Acetone will break down the most betacyanin. Our hypothesis was proven wrong by our data collected. We could test our predictions by doing the experiment multiple times and compare the
One of the most primitive actions known is the consumption of lactose, (milk), from the mother after birth. Mammals have an innate predisposition towards this consumption, as it is their main source of energy. Most mammals lose the ability to digest lactose shortly after their birth. The ability to digest lactose is determined by the presence of an enzyme called lactase, which is found in the lining of the small intestine. An enzyme is a small molecule or group of molecules that act as a catalyst (catalyst being defined as a molecule that binds to the original reactant and lowers the amount of energy needed to break apart the original molecule to obtain energy) in breaking apart the lactose molecule. In mammals, the lactase enzyme is present
To uncover organic compounds like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acid, by using tests like Benedict, Lugol, Biuret and Beta Carotene. Each test was used to determine the presents of different organic molecules in substances. The substances that were tested for in each unknown sample were sugars, starches, fats, and oils. Moreover, carbohydrates are divided into two categories, simple and complex sugars. Additionally, for nonreducing sugars, according to Stanley R. Benedict, the bond is broken only by high heat to make make the molecules have a free aldehydes (Benedict). As for Lipids, there are two categories saturated and unsaturated fats. One of the difference is that saturated fats are mostly solids and have no double bond (Campbell Biology 73). The Beta Carotene test works by dissolving in a lipid, thus giving it color to make it visible. Moreover, proteins are made out of amino acids that are linked by a polypeptide bond (Campbell Biology 75). The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether an unknown class sample or food sample had any carbohydrates, lipids, or proteins in it. The expected result of the lab was that some substances would be present while other would be absent.
The weight of the final product was 0.979 grams. A nucleophile is an atom or molecule that wants to donate a pair of electrons. An electrophile is an atom or molecule that wants to accept a pair of electrons. In this reaction, the carboxylic acid (m-Toluic acid), is converted into an acyl chlorosulfite intermediate. The chlorosulfite intermediate reacts with a HCL. This yields an acid chloride (m-Toluyl chloride). Then diethylamine reacts with the acid chloride and this yields N,N-Diethyl-m-Toluamide.
This experiment requires four tubes with an enzyme solution, chelating agent and deionized water. Also a fifth tube that is the calibration tube for the spectrophotometer, which only has 5ml of dH2O. The calibration tube is used to level out the spectrophotometer to zero before each trial. The spectrophotometer was set at 540 nm, “since green is not a color seen with the conversion of catechol to benzoquinone.” The enzyme solution was made by using potato that was peeled so that the golden color of the skin wouldn’t react or interfere with the red color needed in the spectrophotometer. After it was peeled, it was cut into chunks to minimize excess heat created while it was blended. It was put in a chilled blender and 500ml of deionized water was added. Chilled, deionized water was used because it created a hypotonic environment that caused the cells from the potato to burst and release the catecholase. It was chilled
“Enzymes are proteins that have catalytic functions” [1], “that speed up or slow down reactions”[2], “indispensable to maintenance and activity of life”[1]. They are each very specific, and will only work when a particular substrate fits in their active site. An active site is “a region on the surface of an enzyme where the substrate binds, and where the reaction occurs”[2].
Experiment #3: The purpose of this experiment to test the chromatography of plant pigments the alcohol test strip test will be used.
The dichotomous keys show process of elimination taking place and several steps that were performed to the two unknown bacteria. Bacteria number one was concluded to be either S. aureus or E. faecals. As shown, a gram stain was performed to bacteria 1, because it helped in separating the bacteria into Gram negative or positive. Bacteria 1 was Gram positive bacteria, so the next step was to eliminate the bacteria that were bacilli, because under the microscope the bacteria was shown to be cocci. Then a lactose test was performed, because it helped me in determining the bacteria metabolism (if lactose was utilized as a sugar by the bacteria) (“Phenol Red Broth”, n.d). Lastly, with the help of process of elimination a MSA test was performed to
Obesity a risk factor in which excess body fat accumulates and can have negative effects on your health. Here we identify how the hormone insulin reacts in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and its role on adipogenesis. Adipogenesis is the development of fat cells from pre adipocytes. Insulin is an important factor in the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre adipocytes to mature adipocytes. Oil Red O (ORO) is used to demonstrate the presence of lipids in each different treatment. A spectrophotometer is used to get the optical density of liquid at the different insulin concentrations. One factor CREB is revealed from preadipocytes to mature adipocytes. By demonstrating how insulin triggers transcription factors. When cells are insulin induced CREB is activated in differentiation. Insulin increased the rate of differentiation and the amassing of triglycerides in 3T3-L1 cells . Insulin was able to induce adipogenesis by observing cell morphology and optical density of liquid from ORO stain. Insulin at 1 µg/ml had the optimal rate of differentiation compared to the other insulin concentrations. Morphology of cells changed significantly from Day 0 to Day 7 at 1 µg/ml and appeared larger and
Lycopene is also linked to a decreased risk of heart disease. Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene, especially when tomatoes are cooked. The heating process actually makes carotenoids more easily absorbed by the b...
Lycopene is a member of the carotenoids pigment family that conveys bright red color to many plants. Its name is obtained primarily from tomato. Lycopene is currently considered one of the most efficient antioxidants, protecting against free radicals that accelerate aging and damage critical parts of the cell (Liu, 2008). Recent studies have shown an inverse relationship between intake of tomatoes along with tissue lycopene levels and the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD).
Rumm-Kreuter, D. and Demmel, I. (1990). "Comparison of Vitamin Losses in Vegetables Due to Various Cooking Methods." Journal of Nurtritional Science and Vitaminology 36, S7-S15.
It changes from blue to red with acids but loses its colour in the presence of certain chemicals, one of which is vitamin C. DCPIP solution can be used to test for the presence of vitamin C in foods. Hypothesis Orange juice has the highest content of vitamin C. Citrus fruits have a higher content of vitamin C. The orange and lemon juice contain more vitamin C than the pineapple juice. Furthermore, as lemons are more acidic than oranges, I predict that the orange juice will contain more vitamin C than the lemon juice. Vitamin C affects, the ph the more vitamin C the higher the ph. Variables Independent Variables Different fruit juices (Pineapple, orange and lemon).
This clearly shows that the fruits and vegetables play a vital role in maintaining our good health. Fruits and vegetables are seasonal and grown in different parts of our country. They need to be stored for longer period and transported to different places. It makes necessary for us to find out whether there is any damage to the useful contents of the fruits and vegetable during the storage and transportation or due to some preservatives or other factors and what kind of nutrients, minerals, etc. are present in their juices. With this idea in mind, the project has been undertaken.
Similarly, lycopene, found in red vegetables such as tomatoes, also has been shown to act as a natural sunscreen.