measuring the vitamin c content of foods and fruit juices _ nuffield foundation.pdf

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7/23/2019 Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices _ Nuffield Foundation.pdf http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/measuring-the-vitamin-c-content-of-foods-and-fruit-juices-nuffield-foundationpdf 1/2 Nuffield Foundation » Teachers » Practical Biology » > Health and disease » What's in our food? » Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices  About us Contacts News Search  A collection of experi ments that demonstrate bi ological concepts and proce sses. Practical Biology In partnership with Search Practical Biology Enter your search term Topics > Cells to systems > Energy > Control and communication > Exchange of materials > Bio molecules > Health and disease > Environment > Genetics > Technology > Animal behaviour > Evolution Standard techniques  About Practical Biology Practical Work for Learning For the class – set up by technician/ teacher: Vitamin C solution, 1% (Note 1) DCPIP solution, 1% (Note 2) For each group of students: Burette Pipette, graduated Pipette filler Fruit juice samples Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit  juices Class practical Measure the vitamin C content of a sample of fruit juice by measuring the volume of the sample required to decolourise  a solution of DCPIP. Calibrate the results by comparison with a known concentration of vitamin C. Lesson organisation Demonstrate the effect of vitamin C on DCPIP. Get students to test 2 or 3 of the juices you provide to practise the technique. Ask students to develop a hypothesis to test, and to investigate it systematically. Your classroom organisation may depend on the equipment you have available. A burette of DCPIP may be the focal point for each working group. Apparatus and Chemicals Health and Safety and Technical notes The chemicals used in this investigation are LOW HAZARD ( Notes 1 and 2). Read our standard health & safety guidance 1 Vitamin C solution: See CLEAPSS Hazcard. CLEAPSS Recipe card recommends a concentration of 0.1%; this protocol suggests 1%. This solution is LOW HAZARD. 2 DCPIP (2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol) is LOW HAZARD; see CLEAPSS Hazcard. CLEAPSS Recipe card recommends a concentration of 0.1%; this protocol suggests 1% so dissolve 1.0 g of dye in 100 cm 3  of water. Ethical issues There are no ethical issues with this procedure. Consider what to do if your results give very different measures than those quoted by manufacturers. Procedure SAFETY: Take care with fragile glassware such as burettes. Preparation a Make up a 1% solution of vitamin C with 1 g of vitamin C in 100 cm 3 ; this is 10 mg cm  –3 . b Make up a 1% solution of DCPIP. Printer-friendly version Tweet asuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices | Nuffield F... http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/practical-biology/measuring-vitami... 2 08/12/2015 20:57

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Page 1: Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices _ Nuffield Foundation.pdf

7/23/2019 Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices _ Nuffield Foundation.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/measuring-the-vitamin-c-content-of-foods-and-fruit-juices-nuffield-foundationpdf 1/2

Nuffield Foundation » Teachers » Practical Biology » > Health and disease » What's in our food? » Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices

 About us Contacts News Search

 A collection of experiments that demonstrate biological concepts and processes.Practical Biology

In partnership with

Search Practical Biology

Enter your search term

Topics

> Cells to systems

> Energy

> Control and communication

> Exchange of materials

> Bio molecules

> Health and disease

> Environment

> Genetics

> Technology

> Animal behaviour 

> Evolution

Standard techniques

 About Practical Biology

Practical Work for Learning

For the class – set up by technician/ teacher:

Vitamin C solution, 1% (Note 1)

DCPIP solution, 1% (Note 2)

For each group of students:

Burette

Pipette, graduated

Pipette filler 

Fruit juice samples

Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit

 juices

Class practical

Measure the vitamin C content of a sample of fruit juice by measuring the volume of the sample required to

decolourise a solution of DCPIP. Calibrate the results by comparison with a known concentration of vitamin C.

Lesson organisation

Demonstrate the effect of vitamin C on DCPIP. Get students to test 2 or 3 of the juices you provide to practise the

technique. Ask students to develop a hypothesis to test, and to investigate it systematically. Your classroom

organisation may depend on the equipment you have available. A burette of DCPIP may be the focal point for 

each working group.

Apparatus and Chemicals

Health and Safety and Technical notes

The chemicals used in this investigation are LOW HAZARD (Notes 1 and 2).

Read our standard health & safety guidance

1 Vitamin C solution: See CLEAPSS Hazcard. CLEAPSS Recipe card recommends a concentration of 0.1%; this

protocol suggests 1%. This solution is LOW HAZARD.

2 DCPIP (2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol) is LOW HAZARD; see CLEAPSS Hazcard. CLEAPSS Recipe card

recommends a concentration of 0.1%; this protocol suggests 1% so dissolve 1.0 g of dye in 100 cm 3 of water.

Ethical issues

There are no ethical issues with this procedure. Consider what to do if your results give very different measures

than those quoted by manufacturers.

Procedure

SAFETY: Take care with fragile glassware such as burettes.

Preparation

a Make up a 1% solution of vitamin C with 1 g of vitamin C in 100 cm 3; this is 10 mg cm –3.

b Make up a 1% solution of DCPIP.

Printer-friendly version Tweet

asuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices | Nuffield F... http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/practical-biology/measuring-vitami...

2 08/12/2015 20:57

Page 2: Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices _ Nuffield Foundation.pdf

7/23/2019 Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices _ Nuffield Foundation.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/measuring-the-vitamin-c-content-of-foods-and-fruit-juices-nuffield-foundationpdf 2/2

Page last updated on 24 November 2011

Investigation

c Pipette 2 cm3 of vitamin C solution into a test tube.

d Using a graduated pipette or a burette, add 1% DCPIP drop by drop to the vitamin C solution. Shake the tube

gently after adding each drop. Add DCPIP solution until the blue colour of the final drop does not disappear.

e Record the exact amount of DCPIP solution that was added.

f  Repeat the procedure and calculate an average result.

g Repeat with the fruit juices to be tested. If more than 5 cm 3 of DCPIP are completely decolourised, dilute the

fruit juice and repeat the test. If the fruit juice has a strong colour that will interfere with determining the end point,

dilute the juice before testing.

h Calculate the amount of vitamin C in the standard solution in mg cm –3. Calculate how much vitamin C there is in

each of the fruit juices in mg cm –3.

Teaching notes

In acidic conditions, DCPIP does not decolourise completely, but remains pink. With strongly acidic juices such as

lemon juice this could confuse determination of the endpoint.

If you are testing lots of different solutions, it is easier to put the DCPIP in a burette and titrate it into measured

samples of fruit juice, rather than cleaning a burette several times in one lesson. If you have plenty of graduated

pipettes, you could measure each juice into a measured sample of DCPIP and observe the point at which the

DCPIP loses its colour.

Hypotheses to test could include…

fresh juices have more vitamin C than long-life

 juice ‘not from concentrate’ is best in terms of vitamin content

 fruit squashes have less vitamin C than fruit juices

if heat destroys vitamin C, then heat-treated long-life juices will have lower concentrations

if heat destroys vitamin C, then boiled fruit juice will have lower concentrations than unboiled

manufacturers generally provide reliable information about their products

vitamin C degrades in vitamin tablets, and old tablets will have less than fresh ones

Health and safety checked, September 2008 

Downloads

Download the student sheet Measuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices (56 KB) with questions

and answers.

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asuring the Vitamin C content of foods and fruit juices | Nuffield F... http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/practical-biology/measuring-vitami...

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