Proteins have an important role in the body and must be ingested on a regular basis. They provide the body with the capacity to repair skeletal muscle tissue and to synthesize hormones and enzymes among other activities.
In this experiment, we wanted to determine the organic molecules found in each brand of protein supplements and the amount of starch present. A protein supplement should contain amino acids and proteins; however, some supplements contain other molecules that are used as fillers, thus reducing the concentration of the protein. The most common fillers are simple sugars (monosaccharides) and starches (polysaccharides) because they enhance the taste of the supplements. Therefore, the protein supplements with low amounts of starch will have more protein than those that contain a high quantity of starch. Because each brand of protein supplement is different, I expect the best one to not contain monosaccharides nor starches, or to contain the least amount of starch when compared to the others.
Methods and Materials
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A positive and negative control for each reagent (Biuret, Ninhydrin, Benedict’s, Lugol’s reagents) was produced using 5 mL of water, glucose, albumin, starch, and glycine solutions. One milliliter of Benedict’s reagent was tested on every solution and it was heated to sixty-five degrees Celsius for five minutes before we observed the color change. Moreover, one milliliter of Ninhydrin was also added to another set of solutions and they were heated to eighty degrees Celsius for five minutes. Additionally, two milliliters of the Biuret reagent and one milliliter of the Lugol’s reagent were added to the other two sets of solutions at room temperature. Similarly, each protein brand sample was treated with the above reagents using an equivalent procedure and