Food Tests!

Learning Objective: How can you test foods?

Describe how to test

Recall the nutrients Describe the positive
foods for starch, lipids,
found in food. result for each food test.
sugar, and protein.

DO NOW: How do we Keywords:

know what is in our food? • Food tests
• Iodine solution
• Benedict’s
CHALLENGE: How can we solution
test foods to determine • Biuret solution
what nutrients it
KS3 Activate
contains? Science
 RECALL 1: Which nutrient best matches
each image below?

FIBRE: stops our intestines

CARBOHYDRATE: from getting blocked up PROTEIN: needed to
needed for energy. preventing constipation. build and repair our
muscles.

VITAMINS (D) and

CHALLENGE: MINERALS (Calcium):
Explain your FATS/LIPIDS: help maintain healthy
choice of needed to keep us teeth and bones.
warm and are a WATER: needed to hydrate us
nutrient. and help food move through the
store of energy.
digestive system.
 RECALL 2: Match the nutrient to the
FUNCTION and EXAMPLES.
Fruit and
Needed for growth and Vegetables.
• Carbohydrate repair.
Chicken, Fish,
Needed in small Meat, Nuts, Eggs.
• Protein amounts to keep you
healthy. Bread, Cereal,
Rice, Pasta,
• Fat Sugar.
Provides energy.
Dairy products
• Vitamins and minerals Provides a store of
e.g. butter and
energy. cheese, Oils.
 RECAP: Nutrients
To remain healthy, you must eat a balanced diet. This means eating food
containing the right nutrients in the correct amounts.
Nutrients are important substances that your body needs to survive and stay
healthy. There are different types of nutrients. We get most of them from food.
The types of nutrients are:
1. Carbohydrates
2. Lipids (fats and oils)
3. Proteins
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Water
7. Dietary fibre (fibre is not a nutrient but it
is important for a healthy diet).
Testing Foods!
You may be able to guess by
looking at some foods which
nutrients they contain. For
example, you may know that oily
foods contain lipids.

Scientists use food tests to

find out which nutrients are in a
food product.
 How can you test foods?
A different chemical test exists for each type
of nutrient. For most food tests, you will need a
solution of the food. To prepare a food solution:

1. Crush the food using a pestle and mortar

2. Add a few drops of water and mix well.

You should use a special type of water called

distilled water – this is pure water that contains
no other chemical substances.
CLASS PRACTICAL/DEMO: Food Tests!

You have 4 tests to carry out.

Each test looks for an important nutrient
group:
1. Test for starch
2. Test for lipids
3. Test for sugar
4. Test for protein
 RESULTS TABLE
Food test Observations

starch

sugar

fat

protein
 EQUIPMENT TO COLLECT

Test 1 – Starch Test 2 - Lipids Test 3 - Sugar Test 4 - Protein

• Spotting tile • Filter paper • Test tube • Spotting tile
• Iodine solution • Benedict's solution
• Ethanol • Biurets solution
• Spatula • Water bath (sodium hydroxide
• Food samples • Pipette • Food samples to and copper sulphate
to test • Test tubex2 test solution)
• Rubber bung • Spatula
• Water • Food samples to test
• Food samples to test
METHOD 1: How do you test for starch?
To test for starch you use iodine solution. Iodine solution is an
orange-yellow liquid.

1. Add a few drops of iodine solution to the food solution in a test

tube.
2. If the solution turns a dark blue/black colour, then starch is
present.
 METHOD 2: How do you test for sugar?

To test for simple sugars such as glucose you use Benedict’s solution.
Benedict’s solution is a blue liquid.

1. Add a few drops of Benedict's solution

to the food solution
2. Heat the tube in a water bath for 5
minutes
3. If the solution turns orange then the
food contains sugar.
METHOD 3: How do you test for lipids?

TEST 1: To test for lipids in a solid piece

of food you use a piece of filter paper.
1. Rub some of the food onto a piece of
filter paper.
2. Hold the paper up to the light. If the
paper has gone translucent, the food
contains lipids.
METHOD 3: How do you test for lipids?

TEST 2: To test for lipids in a food solution

you use ethanol. Ethanol is a colourless liquid.

1. Add a few drops of ethanol to the food

solution
2. Shake the test tube and leave for one
minute
3. Pour the ethanol into a test tube of water
4. If the solution turns cloudy, the food
contains lipids.
METHOD 4: How do you test for protein?
To test for protein you use a copper sulfate solution and sodium
hydroxide solution. Copper sulfate solution is a pale-blue liquid.
Sodium hydroxide solution is a colourless liquid.

1. Crush food in pestle and mortar

2. Add a small amount of water
3. Add 10 drops of sodium hydroxide
4. Add 10 drops of copper sulphate
5. If it turns purple then protein is present.
 RESULTS TABLE
Food test Observations
1. Add a few drops of iodine solution to the food solution in a test tube.
starch
2. If the solution turns a dark blue/black colour, then starch is present.

1. Add a few drops of Benedict's solution to the food solution

sugar 2. Heat the tube in a water bath for 5 minutes
3. If the solution turns orange then the food contains sugar.
1. Add a few drops of ethanol to the food solution
2. Shake the test tube and leave for one minute
fat 3. Pour the ethanol into a test tube of water
4. If the solution turns cloudy, the food contains lipids.
1. Crush food in pestle and mortar
2. Add a small amount of water
protein 3. Add 10 drops of sodium hydroxide
4. Add 10 drops of copper sulphate
 SUMMARY: Copy and complete
Nutrient Chemical used Colour before Colour after if
testing for to test present
Starch
(carbohydrate)
Sugar – glucose
(Carbohydrate)
Lipids

Protein
 SUPPORT TABLE
Nutrient Chemical used Colour before Colour after if
testing for to test present
Starch Iodine Blue/black
(carbohydrate)
Sugar – glucose blue
(Carbohydrate)
Lipids Ethanol cloudy

Protein blue
ANSWERS
Nutrient Chemical used Colour before Colour after if
testing for to test present
Starch Iodine Orange/red Blue/black
(carbohydrate)
Sugar – glucose Benedict’s blue Orange/red
(Carbohydrate) solution (water
bath)
Lipids Ethanol clear cloudy

Protein Sodium hydroxide blue purple

+ copper sulphate
 EXTENDED WRITTEN TASK

1. Complete the extended

written task question using your
results table from the class
practical for support.

2. Use the mark

scheme to peer
assess and
provide FB/FF.
 SUMMARY QUESTIONS
1. Complete the table using the words below. (4 marks)
• Turns blue-black Nutrient Colour change if
• Turns orange-red nutrient present
• Makes paper translucent Starch
• Turns purple Lipids
Sugar
Protein
2. Describe how to prepare a food solution of a breakfast cereal. (3 marks)

CHALLENGE: Explain in detail how you would test a gingerbread-biscuit solution

for the presence of starch, sugar, and protein. (6 marks)
EXIT TICKET

starch
black
potatoes.

glucose
blue Brick red
lemonade.

biurets
purple egg