CHEMICAL TEST FOR NUTRIENTS

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Food tests:

Safety: some of the chemicals used in these tests are corrosive, so

Testing for starch

• Half will a test-tube with the food extract you wish to test for
starch.

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• Add two or three drops of iodine solution.
Loading solution usually looks yellow or light brown.

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A positive result for starch is if the iodine solution turns blue-black.
If the extract remains a yellow or light brown colour it does not

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contain starch.

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Testing for reducing sugars

• Put a known volume of the extract you wish to test for reducing
sugars in a test-tube.
• Place a beaker on a heat-proof mat.
• Carefully half fill the breaker with boiling water from a kettle (or
place the beaker on a tripod and gauze and boil the water with a

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Bunsen burner).
• Add the same volume of Benedict’s solution to the test-tube

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containing the food extract and a put it into the hot water.
• Benedict’s solution is bright blue.

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• A positive test for simple sugars is when Benedict’s solution turns
red or orange (if you look carefully you can see it turn green and

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then yellow before turning orange). If you leave the test-tube to
cool you will also see a precipitate.

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• You can us Benedict’s test to tell you have much simple sugar is
present. If the colour changes to green, the extract only contains a
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little of the reducing sugars. If it goes deep orange colour then it
contains a lot of reducing sugars.
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• If the colour remains blue then the extract does not contain any
reducing sugars.
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The sugars that give a positive result change the copper ions in
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the Benedict’s solution when the mixture he heated. The type of reaction
that occurs is a reduction reaction that you will learn about in chemistry.
Reducing sugars are simple sugars, such as glucose, and some complex
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sugars, such as maltose and lactose. Sucrose is not a reducing sugars and
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gives a negative result.

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TEST FOR REDUCING SUGAR

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BOARD QUESTION:

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MARKSCHEME:

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Testing for protein

• Half fill a test-tube with the extract you wish to test for protein.
• Add five to six drops of biuret solution (this solution contains
copper sulfate solution and sodium hydroxide solution)

Safety: take care as sodium hydroxide solution is corrosive.

• Biuret solution usually looks blue in colour.

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violet or lilac.
• If the colour remains blue, then the extract does not contain

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protein.

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BOARD QUESTION:

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Testing for fats
Fats will not dissolve in water but they will dissolve in ethanol. If a
solution of fat in ethanol is added to water a cloudy white emulsion is
formed.

• Chop up grind a small amount of material you wish to test for fats.
(Do not add water to make the extract this time.)
• Put the extract into a clean test-tube and add enough ethanol to
cover it.

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• Put a stopper over the open end of the test-tube and shake up the
contents.

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• Add some distilled water to make the test-tube half full.
• Shake the contents of the test-tube once more.

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• A white emulsion that cooks cloudy white or a milky colour is a
positive test for fats.

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• If this does not happen the extract does not contain fats.

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BOARD QUESTION:

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BOARD QUESTION:

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MARKING SCHEME:
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Test for vitamin C

The test for vitamin C is to utilize the reducing power of vitamin C.

In this test, the oxidizing agent is called DCPIP (dichlorophenol

DCPIP is a dye. It is blue color when in oxidizing form and colorless in

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reduction form.

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When DCPIP is added into vitamin C solution, the vitamin C reduces the
dye, then, decolorizes the dye. Therefore, the decolorization of DCPIP
indicates the presence of vitamin C.

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BOARD QUESTIONS:

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