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Project Summary
| Difficulty | 8 – 9 |
| Time required | Average (about one week) |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Material Availability | Iodine-based chemicals are required. Ask your science teacher to help you obtain the right chemicals. |
| Cost | Average ($50 - $100) |
| Safety | Minor injury is possible. Adult supervision is recommended. When working with chemicals, always wear safety goggles, gloves, and aprons. If using acids, work in a vented hood. Exercise caution when using a hot plate and all chemicals. For more tips, consult the Science Buddies Chemistry Safety Guide. |
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| * Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk. |
Abstract
As you know, vegetables not only taste good, but they are good for you. Many vegetables are a great source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that plays an important role in protecting the body from infection and disease. Humans do not make vitamin C on their own, so we must get it from dietary sources. So what is the best way to prepare your vegetables so that you get the most vitamin C out of them? In this cooking and food science fair project, investigate which cooking method—boiling or steaming—results in higher vitamin C content in potatoes. To quantify the amount of vitamin C, you'll need to do some titrating. For information on how to titrate, consult the references below in the Bibliography, as well as the Experimental Procedure of the Science Buddies Which Orange Juice Has the Most Vitamin C science fair project.Bibliography
The following websites describe how to titrate vitamin C from vegetables. The third website details how another student went about determining the vitamin C levels in cooked potatoes, and her results.
- University of Canterbury. (n.d.). Determination of Vitamin C by Redox Titration with Iodine. Science Outreach. Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz/chemistry/vitamin_C_iodine.shtml
- Helmenstine, A. (n.d.). Vitamin C Determination by Iodine Titration. Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ss/vitctitration.htm
- Colby, D. The Effect of Cooking Methods on Vitamin C in Potatoes. Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/SciProj2005/ColbyD.html
- Wikipedia Contributors. (2008). Vitamin C. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_C&oldid=243741812
Variations
- For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Cooking & Food Science Project Ideas.
Last edit date: 2008-10-09 12:00:00
Career Focus
If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Cooking & Food Science.
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Food Science Technician Good taste, texture, quality, and safety are all very important in the food industry. Food science technicians test and catalog the physical and chemical properties of food to help ensure these aspects. |
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Food Scientist or Technologist There is a fraction of the world's population that doesn't have enough to eat or doesn't have access to food that is nutritionally rich. Food scientists or technologists work to find new sources of food that have the right nutrition levels and that are safe for human consumption. In fact, our nation's food supply depends on food scientists and technologists that test and develop foods that meet and exceed government food safety standards. If you are interested in combining biology, chemistry, and the knowledge that you are helping people, then a career as a food scientist or technologist could be a great choice for you! | |
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