Abstract
Why are some fruits not recommended for adding to gelatin? Here is a basic science fair project for investigating enzymes that prevent gelatin from solidifying. It's an experiment with edible results!Objective
The purpose of this project is to test the hypothesis that food items containing a protein-digesting enzyme will prevent gelatin from solidifying.
Introduction
If you like making gelatin for dessert, you may have noticed that the box recommends against adding certain kinds of fresh or frozen fruit, e.g., pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs, or guava. This is because these fruits contain the protein-digesting enzymes papain or bromelain that can prevent the gelatin from setting.
So why would a protein-digesting enzyme interfere with the setting of gelatin? To find out, you should do some background research on the ingredients that go into gelatin, and how it normally sets (see Howstuffworks, 2006, for a good start).
Although papain and bromelain can digest proteins, these enzymes themselves are proteins. Most proteins can be inactivated by denaturation. Denaturation changes the structure of the protein, without breaking the chemical bonds between the amino acids that make up the protein backbone. Exposure to heat is one method of denaturing proteins. A good example is cooking an egg. When the egg is raw, the egg white—which has lots of proteins called albumins—is transparent and liquid, but after cooking it becomes opaque and solid. In the case of eggs (and most enzymes) denaturation of the protein causes an irreversible change. Most enzymes are inactivated by denaturation.
In this science fair project, you will perform two tests.
With this science fair project, you'll get to enjoy some of your results as dessert!
Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research
More advanced students should also study:
Questions
Bibliography
Materials and Equipment
Experimental Procedure
Safety Note. Preparing gelatin involves pouring and stirring boiling hot water. Adult supervision or assistance is highly recommended.
Variations
Credits
Andrew Olson, PhD, Science Buddies
Sources
The idea for this science fair project came from:
Last edit date: 2010-01-26 23:00:00
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