Lab 2e:
Variation in the structure and properties of carbohydrates
Purpose
Find differences in the structure of common carbohydrates.
Find differences in texture and taste of carbohydrates.
How does structure affect taste and texture?
Materials
Procedure
Part I
1. Find the structure of each molecule being tested.
2. Copy the pictures of each molecule onto your website.
Part II
1. Label a paper towel with each carbohydrate.
2. Put a spoonful of each carbohydrate onto the corresponding label on the paper towel.
3. Taste each carbohydrate with your finger.
4. Evaluate the sweetness of each.
5. Record the sweetness in a data table.
Find differences in the structure of common carbohydrates.
Find differences in texture and taste of carbohydrates.
How does structure affect taste and texture?
Materials
- Sucrose
- Glucose(dextrose)
- Fructose
- Galactose
- Maltose
- Lactose
- Starch, soluble
- Cellulose
- Paper cups
- Plastic spoons
- Paper towels
Procedure
Part I
1. Find the structure of each molecule being tested.
2. Copy the pictures of each molecule onto your website.
Part II
1. Label a paper towel with each carbohydrate.
2. Put a spoonful of each carbohydrate onto the corresponding label on the paper towel.
3. Taste each carbohydrate with your finger.
4. Evaluate the sweetness of each.
5. Record the sweetness in a data table.
Data analysis/conclusion
The sweetest carbohydrates were Fructose and Sucrose. According to our results, the amount of sugar rings does affect the taste of the sugar. Less sugar rings resulted in a sweeter taste. I noticed that disaccharides and monosaccharides were a pure white color. Polysaccharides were a more off- white or beige color. This shows that the amount of sugar rings affects the color of the carbohydrate. Most of the people in our group agreed on what to rate each carbohydrate on the sweetness scale. However, we did sometimes differ our numbers a little bit. We might have had different results because of our taste buds. Some people may be used to sugars, while they are rare to others. Lastly, each person has a different tolerance to these sugars, This is much like how people tolerate spicy food differently. The monosaccharides (Glucose, Fructose, and Galactose) were similar in a couple ways. They were all a white color. They also all provide energy. These might have had similar characteristics because they have very similar structures.
Reflection
My favorite part of the lab was tasting all of the different carbohydrates. It was interesting because we didn't know if we should expect each one to be sweet or bland. However, my least favorite part of the lab was when you thought one carbohydrate would be sweet, but it ended up being rather disgusting. Our group collaborated very well. We did not make a mess with the sugar, which was surprising considering how fine some of them were. We cleaned everything up in a clean and organized way. I really don't think we would need to do anything differently next time. I believe that the lab was very organized and ran smoothly.