Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

How can a 5th grader best test the absorption of oil when frying different kinds (shapes) of fries? The child would like to know which are the greasiest and therefore the least healthy. We have tried weighing the fries prior to frying and afterward; this does not yield needed results due to moisture lost during cooking that makes them lighter. Is there anything else to do other than measuring the oil before frying and after frying?

I was reading your post and unfortunately I don't know the best way to test the oil abosorption based on shape (others may post) but I did have a thought that I wanted to share. Since the student wants to show which would be the healthiest option maybe the experiment could be simplified by choosing three types of oil (saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated) and explain the differences, exploring lipids and why one oil is a healthier choice. Just an idea - sorry I couldn't help further. I have included a website for your review on food science experiments that has a teachers guide and a section on fats including data tables and questions. I hope this is helpful in some way even if it is for your future use. Have a great day!
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC ... iments.pdf

Hi,

CJB has given you some good suggestions for an alternative project for this topic and the IFT website includes some excellent ideas for other food science projects.

Your son’s has a great idea for a science project, however, measuring the amount of oil in a potato is definitely challenging. It sounds like you have a scale that you are using to weigh the potatoes, so here is an idea bases on measuring the mass of water after it is removed by evaporation. If you measure the amount of moisture in a fresh sample and in an identically prepare fried sample, the difference in weight between the fresh and fried sample should be due to the oil. You would need a small oven-proof container that could be weighed separately to hold each sample. I recommend trying one set of samples and baking at 150 to 200 degrees F for several hours; weigh the samples and bake for another hour and repeat the measurements to make sure all of the moisture has evaporated. I think you would need a scale that would weigh accurately to the closest 0.01 gram. The drying step could also be done in a microwave oven, but you would have to be careful not to run the oven with dry samples to avoid damaging it.

Measuring the moisture in foods is a complex topic and here is a website that has more information.

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~mcclemen ... sture.html

Here is a related project from the Science Buddies website:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p&from=TSW

And here are some other food science projects from the Science Buddies website:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ia=FoodSci

I hope this helps. Please let us know if you need any additional information.


Donna Hardy