Where's the Fat?
FOOD SCIENCE EXPERIMENT: FAT
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The following experiment is designed to supplement activities in already
existing food and nutrition projects. First read the section "Caution-Be
Science Wise" and then help 4-H members work through the experiment.
CAUTION - BE SCIENCE WISE!
Before you begin any science experiment, you should always follow these basic
rules:
1. Be sure to read ALL directions before starting the experiments.
2. In many experiments, a "control" is used. The control is the standard
against which you compare the experimental food.
3. When doing the experiments, keep everything the same as the control except
for the one thing the directions say to change. Use the same size pans,
the same type of bowls and the same mixing speeds. Be sure that just ONE
thing changes each time.
4. Be sure to label each food when conducting these experiments. Use a piece
of masking tape, a marking pencil, a crayon or anything that will help you
remember which food is which. In some experiments, you'll have no trouble
telling the foods apart. In others, the foods may look the same.
5. The experimental food is not meant to be perfect. Since you are purposely
doing something wrong, you can't expect it to be perfect! So it's all
right when something turns out "bad." That's what is SUPPOSED to happen.
6. Not all experiments in food science yield products that can be eaten.
NEVER SAMPLE PRODUCTS IN AN EXPERIMENT UNLESS YOUR LEADER SAYS THEY ARE
SAFE TO EAT.
7. Records are an important part of any scientific project. You should write
down what happens in each experiment. Experiments may not turn out exactly
the same every time. Recording your results will help you and others who
may try to repeat your experiment.
WHERE'S THE FAT?
INTRODUCTION
You can find out if a food contains fat by rubbing it on a piece of brown
paper bag. If the food contains quite a bit of fat, a translucent spot will
appear where you have rubbed. (Translucent means that light will pass through
the spot, but you wont' be able to see objects through the spot.) Water in
food will also produce a translucent spot, but a water spot will disappear
when the water dries.
INGREDIENTS
1 uncooked macaroni shell
1 raw potato slice
1 potato chip
1/8 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 shelled peanut
Part of 1 raw bacon strip
1/8 teaspoon water
1/8 teaspoon margarine
Other available foods
EQUIPMENT
Brown paper bag
Measuring spoons
Knife
Cutting board
Marker
PROCEDURE
1. Rub each food item on a flat piece of brown paper bag.
2. Label the spots with the name of the food.
3. Allow the spots to dry for 20 minutes.
4. Record on the chart whether fat was present.
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Food Fat Little or No Fat
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Macaroni
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Potato slice
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Potato chip
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Mayonnaise
______________________________________________________________________________
Peanut
______________________________________________________________________________
Bacon
______________________________________________________________________________
Water
______________________________________________________________________________
Margarine
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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5. See if you can answer the following questions based on what you observed.
* Did the raw potato slice give you different results that the potato chip?
If yes, why did they test differently? how do you think a french fry
would react?
* Did you find a peanut has fat or does not have fat? How do you think
peanut butter would test?
* Did the macaroni test as having fat or not having fat? Since macaroni is
made from grain, what can you conclude in general about grain foods?
How do you think a slice of bread would test?
EXPLANATION
About 90 percent of the fat we eat comes from three categories of food: fats
and oils; meat, poultry and fish; and dairy foods. Fruits and vegetables
(except olives and avocados) and grains are very low in fat. Foods that are
low in fat can become a high fat food by the way they are processed. For
example, since potato chips are fried in fat, they are higher in fat than
baked potatoes.
SOURCE: Food Mysteries, Michigan State University
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Updated 8/15/05