INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT

SCHOOL: SUSHILA BIRLA GIRLS’ SCHOOL

NAME: SHREEJA ROY

CLASS: 11S

ROLL NO: 26

SESSION: 2024-25

TOPIC: PRESENCE OF OXALATE IONS IN

GGGGGGGUAVA AND DIFFERENT STAGES OF
GGGGGGRIPENING

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who

contributed to the completion of this investigatory project on
the presence of oxalate ions in guava at different stages of
ripening.
First and foremost, I extend my deepest appreciation to our
teacher Dr. Amrita Swaroop, whose guidance and expertise
were invaluable throughout the project. Her encouragement
and support provided us with the necessary direction to
conduct the experiment effectively.
I would also like to thank Sushila Birla Girls’ School for
providing us with the necessary resources and facilities to carry
out our research.
I am also grateful to my classmates who provided assistance
and encouragement during the course of this project.
Lastly, I would like to express my appreciation to my family for
their unwavering support and understanding during this
endeavor.
Without the contributions and support of the aforementioned
individuals, this project would not have been possible.
Thank you all for your invaluable help and encouragement.

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Shreeja Roy, a student of Class

XI SCIENCE, has successfully completed the research
on the below mentioned project under the guidance
of Mrs. Amrita Swaroop (subject teacher) during the
year 2024-2024 in partial fulfillment of chemistry
practical examination conducted by AISSCE, NEW
DELHI.

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DR. AMRITA SWAROOP
(SUBJECT TEACHER)

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 INDEX
SL.NO CONTENT PAGE NO.

1. INTRODUCTION 5

2. AIM 6

3. THEORY 6

4. MATERIALS REQUIRED 7

5. METHEDOLOGY 8

6. EXPERIMENT VALUES 9

7. RESULT 10

8. ANALYSIS 10

9. CONCLUSION 11

10. PRECAUTIONS 11

11. CASE STUDY 12

12. BIBLIOGRAPHY 13

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 INTRODUCTION

Guava (Psidium guajava) is a tropical fruit

renowned for its delicious taste and
numerous health benefits. Rich in essential
nutrients such as vitamin C, dietary fiber,
and antioxidants, guava is a popular fruit
consumed worldwide.

Oxalates are naturally occurring compounds found in many plant-

.based foods, including fruits and vegetables. While oxalates play
essential roles in plant metabolism and defense mechanisms,
excessive consumption of oxalate-rich foods has been associated
with the formation of kidney stones and other health issues in
susceptible individuals. Therefore, understanding the presence and
concentration of oxalates in guava fruit, particularly during
different stages of ripening, is of considerable scientific interest
and practical significance.

The ripening process in fruits involves complex biochemical

changes, including alterations in texture, colour, flavour, and
nutrient composition. Studies have suggested that the
nutritional content of fruits, including the concentration of
bioactive compounds like oxalates, may vary at different stages
of ripening. However, limited research has been conducted to
investigate the specific changes in oxalate levels during the
ripening of guava fruit.

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AIM: To analyze the presence and concentration of ions in
guava fruit at different stages of ripening.

THEORY: Oxalate ions (C₂O₄²⁻) are organic compounds that

occur naturally in many plants, including fruits, vegetables,
nuts, and seeds. They are the conjugate base of oxalic acid
(C₂H₂O₄).
When ingested, oxalate ions can bind with minerals like calcium
to form calcium oxalate, which is insoluble and can contribute
to the formation of kidney stones.
Oxalates are dicarboxylic acids with the formula (COO⁻)₂. They
are found in varying concentrations in different plant tissues
and serve several biological functions, including roles in plant
defense mechanisms and regulation of calcium levels.
Ripening is a complex biochemical process involving the
transformation of starches into sugars, breakdown of pectins,
and changes in various metabolites, including oxalates.
The hypothesis for this project could be that the concentration
of oxalate ions changes as guava ripens, influenced by the
metabolic activities within the fruit.
For example, unripe guavas might have higher levels of
oxalates due to the presence of more organic acids, which

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decrease as the fruit ripens and converts these acids into
sugars and other compounds.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

a) Fresh guava fruits at different stages of

ripening (unripe, semi-ripe, fully ripe)
b) Beakers
c) Measuring cylinders
d) Distilled water
e) Filter paper
f) Funnel
g) Burette
h) Pipette
i) Conical flask
j) Titration setup
k) Dilute sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄)
l) Potassium permanganate (KMnO₄)
solution

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METHEDOLOGY:
1. Sample Preparation:
a.Guava fruits at different stages of ripening has to collected.
b. They have to labelled as Unripe (Stage 1), Semi-ripe (Stage
2), and Fully ripe (Stage 3).
2. Extraction of Oxalate Ions:
a. Fifty grams of guava are weighed for each stage.
b. The weighed guava samples are crushed and blended with
100 a mL of distilled water.
c.The mixture is filtered to obtain a clear solution, resulting in
aathe guava extract containing oxalate ions.
3. Titration:
a. 20 mL of guava extract is taken in a conical flask.
b.20 mL of dilute sulfuric acid is added to the flask.
c.The mixture is heated to about 60°C.

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d.The heated mixture is titrated against a standard solution of a
aapotassium permanganate (0.1 N) until a permanent pink
color aapersists.
4. Calculation:
a.The volume of KMnO₄ solution used in the titration should be
noted.
b.The following formula should be used to calculate the
aaconcentration of oxalate ions.
Concentration of oxalate ions: (V1×N×45)
Where: W
V1 = Volume of KMnO₄ used (in liters)
N = Normality of KMnO₄ solution
45= Equivalent weight of oxalic acid
W = Weight of the guava sample (in grams)
EXPERIMENT VALUES:
Unripe Guava (Stage 1):
a. Weight of sample (W): 50 grams
b. Volume of KMnO₄ used (V₁): 5.0 mL (0.005 L)
c. Normality (N): 0.1 N

Concentration: 0.005×0.1×45 ×100 = 4.5mg/100g

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Semi-ripe Guava (Stage 2):

a. Weight of sample (W): 50 grams
b. Volume of KMnO₄ used (V₁): 4.0 mL (0.004 L)
c. Normality (N): 0.1 N

Concentration: 0.004×0.1×45 × 100 = 3.6mg/100g

50

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Fully Ripe Guava (Stage 3):
a. Weight of sample (W): 50 grams
b. Volume of KMnO₄ used (V₁): 3.0 mL (0.003 L)
c. Normality (N): 0.1 N

Concentration: 0.003×0.1×45 × 100 = 2.7mg/100g

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RESULT:
Stage of Volume of Concentration of Oxalate
Ripening KMnO₄ (mL) Ions (mg/100g)

Unripe 5.0 4.5

Semi-ripe 4.0 3.6

Fully ripe 3.0 2.7

ANALYSIS:
a.Unripe Guava (Stage 1): The highest oxalate concentration
was found in unripe guava. This stage contains more organic
acids, which are precursors to oxalates.
b.Semi-ripe Guava (Stage 2): Oxalate levels decrease as guava
begins to ripen. This may be due to the metabolic conversion of
organic acids into sugars and other compounds.

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c.Fully Ripe Guava (Stage 3): Fully ripe guavas have the lowest
oxalate concentration, indicating that ripening significantly
reduces oxalate content.

CONCLUSION:
The concentration of oxalate ions decreases as guava ripens.
Fully ripe guavas contain the least amount of oxalate ions,
making them a preferable choice for individuals managing
oxalate intake.

PRECAUTIONS:
a.Accurate weighing and measurement of solutions should be
aaensured.
b. Titrations should be performed carefully to avoid errors.
c.Sulfuric acid and potassium permanganate should be handled
aawith caution.
d. There should be no parallax while taking measurements.
e.The use of burette having a rubber tap has to be avoided as
aKMnO attacks rubber.
f.The upper meniscus has to be read while taking burette
areading with KMnO4solution.
g. KMnO₄ solution should slowly added during titration to avoid
zzovershooting the endpoint.

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 CASE STUDY

Research done by: Shirley Navis,S Subila and Pubs Gupta

The oxalate content of guava at different stages of ripening

were found out by permanganometric method. Oxalate rich
foods are usually restricted to some degree, particularly in
patients with high urinary oxalate level. Guava has the highest
percentage of vitamin C among citrus fruits. It also contains
oxalate amount of which varies with ripening of the fruit.
During ripening of guava the oxalate content increases
progressively and the fully ripe fruit has the maximum oxalate
content. Oxalate form an insoluble complex with calcium in the
urine, or hyper-oxaluria, is even more important to stone
formation than high levels of calcium or hypercalcicuria.
Excessive intake of food and drink containing oxalate leads to
calcium oxalate stone. Also, excessive intake of vitamin C
which metabolized to oxalate may lead to hyper calcicuria and
an increase in stone formation. Pain medications can be
prescribed for symptom relief. Surgical techniques have also
been developed to remove kidney stones.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books and Articles:

a. Practical chemistry by laxmi publications

b. The Family Encyclopedia by Dorling Kindersley

Websites:

a. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Oxalate
b. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?
tname=foodspice&dbid=93
c. https://cdn.labmanager.com/assets/articleNo/5727/aImg/
48879/labsafetyrules-1800x900-m.webp
d. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aline-Silva-59/
publication/369565633/figure/fig1/
AS:11431281131833814@1680181981373/Ripening-
stages-of-Paluma-guava.png

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e. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/
Oxalate-3D-balls.png?20091230001808

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