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Biochemistry

Toothpick biochemistry, pH and protein solubility demonstration kit, protein digestion -- just a few of the more than 30 resources that you can utilize in your next biochemistry lecture.

Turnip Peroxidase with Flinn

Turnip Peroxidase demonstrates an easy way to include an enzyme reaction rate lab in your curriculum in this Flinn Biology Minute.

pH and Protein Solubility Flinn Demonstration Kit

Protein Solubility Demonstration Kit shows the properties of proteins and the effect of pH on protein solubility with this colorful and reversible activity in this Flinn Biology Minute.

Serial Dilutions and Testing for Starch

Serial Dilutions and Testing for Starch is a Flinn Biology Minute that helps introduce your students to essential lab techniques and materials by making serial dilutions and testing saliva’s ability to digest starch.

Cow Magnet Learning Cycle

Cow Magnet Learning Cycle goes over uses for a common magnet, and discusses the importance of teachers sharing ideas and best practices.

Toothpick Biochemistry

Without enzymes, the sun wouldn’t shine, the earth wouldn’t spin, and all biochemical processes would grind to a halt. Actually, the solar system would be fine—but life as we know it would not be. Here is a pair of activities designed to demonstrate some important relationships governing enzyme activity.

Measuring Catalase Action with Sensors

Measure the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by catalase using an oxygen Gas Sensor or Gas Pressure Sensor.

Lactose Intolerance

Intestinal gas, bloating, and stomach cramps—oh my! This can be a common concern for a majority of the world’s population who lack the enzyme to digest certain foods. Milk and dairy products, for example, cause problems for many people who lack the enzyme required to digest lactose, the main carbohydrate found in milk. This demonstration illustrates the use of a commercial enzyme product called Lactaid™ as an aid in milk digestion.

Enzyme Activity Guided-Inquiry Turnip Peroxidase

Peroxidase enzymes are widely distributed in plants and animals, including bacteria, to protect cells against the effects of oxidative stress and cell damage due to hydrogen peroxide. Peroxidases are easily extracted from turnips and other root vegetables and provide a model enzyme for studying enzyme activity—how the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction depends on biotic and abiotic factors. Enzyme activity studies reflect enzyme structure and function and provide the foundation for understanding the mechanism or theory of enzyme action.

Digestive Enzymes Demo

People must eat to live but how does the body transform food into the essential nutrients (peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, and glucose) needed to carry out cell processes and cell growth? This demonstration introduces the biochemistry of digestion.

Help from MOM

A Colorful Antacid DemonstrationMilk of magnesia (MOM) and other antacids are bases that relieve heartburn by neutralizing the acid found in the stomach’s gastric juices. When hydrochloric acid and universal indicator are added to milk of magnesia, a dramatic rainbow of color changes is observed as the antacid neutralizes the simulated stomach acid. This is a great demonstration to teach concepts of acids and bases, solubility, digestion, and “antacid-testing” consumer biochemistry.

Chemicals of Life

Several tests have been developed by biologists to determine the presence of different major chemical compounds found in cells. Allow students to use these tests to determine the major chemicals of life in four unknown samples.

Effect of Temperature on Gene Expression

Explore the effect of temperature on the expression of specific genes in Serratia marcescens bacteria.

Pectinase Ate My Fruit

Many naturally occurring enzymes are used in the food and beverage industry to improve food processing, juice clarity, and taste. Pectinase, an enzyme that breaks down pectin in fruits, is commercially important in making fruit juices. Let’s examine the activity of pectinase.

Ups and Downs of Grapes

Unpeeled grapes float while peeled grapes sink—why?

De-Inking Paper for Recycling

With just a simple touch, a glass stirring rod will ignite a candle!

Grease - It’s Not Just a Musical!

Are all detergents equally effective at removing grease from clothes? Develop and test a detergent formulation that gets grease out of cloth.

Through Thick or Thin

Open a can of soup, mix up frozen orange juice or open a bag of chips and a bottle of salsa! What had to be done to the raw ingredients in order to get them into the can, bag or bottle? Help students determine at least one answer to an important question faced by all food processing companies—What happens to the leftover waste material that is not canned, bagged or bottled?

Putting the “Squeeze” on Apples

The use of enzyme to extract juice from apples was first introduced 30 years ago and today apple juice processing throughout the world utilizes about five million tons of apples. Test one or combinations of enzymes, different types of fruit and environmental factors, such as temperature, to discover the ideal conditions for maximum juice production.

Nails for Breakfast?

Most people know that breakfast cereals are fortified with iron and other essential minerals and vitamins. What they don’t know is that in some cases the iron is actually added in the form of metallic, elemental iron—nails for breakfast! In this demonstration, iron is extracted from cereal using a magnetic stirring bar and the amount of iron is compared with the nutritional label information. Reaction with hydrochloric acid and qualitative tests for dissolved iron simulate what happens when the iron dissolves in the acidic contents of the stomach.

Iodized Salt

Are food additives healthy or unhealthy? This is a controversial topic in society today. Many people associate food additives with highly processed convenience foods that are unhealthy. But not all food additives are unhealthy. Iodine, in the form of potassium iodide, was the first additive approved by the federal government for use in foods. Potassium iodide is added to salt to prevent thyroid diseases caused by a lack of iodine in the diet. The presence of iodide in iodized salt can be demonstrated by reaction with chlorine water, a strong oxidizing agent.

Alcohol Fermentation Demonstration

Use colorful indicators to demonstrate the products of fermentation.

Taste Test

Students are prohibited from tasting or eating in the laboratory for good reason. This teacher-led “taste test” can be one exception to the rule. The taste-test demonstration is a good introductory-level activity to illustrate the role of enzymes in digestion and metabolism.

Benedict’s Qualitative Solution

Benedict’s Qualitative Solution provides a test to determine the presence of reducing sugars. All monosaccharides and some disaccharides are reducing sugars—that is, they contain a free aldehyde or α-hydroxyketone group which is capable of reducing cupric or ferric ions. Sucrose, common table sugar and a disaccharide, is a notable exception in that it is not a reducing sugar.

Benedict’s Quantitative Reagent Powder

Benedict’s Quantitative Solution (prepared from Benedict’s Quantitative Reagent Powder) is a test reagent used for detecting and quantitatively determining the amount of reducing sugars present in a substance. All monosaccharides and some disaccharides are reducing sugars—that is, they contain a free aldehyde or α-hydroxyketone group which is capable of reducing copper(II) or iron(III) ions. Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a notable exception in that it is not a reducing sugar.

Amylase Content of Saliva

Ever leave a soda cracker in your mouth long enough to have it turn to sugar? Amylase, an enzyme in saliva, breaks down starch into simpler sugars. How much amylase is in our saliva?