Food substance testing is very useful. Doing a substance test on food can find out what is in it. That way, you can understand what benefits are in these healthy foods.
The body needs various types of substances that are very important in carrying out the proper functioning of the organs. That is why, testing substances in food is the right step.
In food there are various kinds of substances that differ from one to another. By identifying these substances, one can know the function and benefits of that food.
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Method and Function of Food Substance Test
Testing for substances in food is nothing new. Usually the identification substance will classify the content of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins.
This way of testing food aims to find out whether the food can meet daily needs or not. To do this food test is also not difficult.
In fact, how to test food has been taught since high school. No need to be confused because in the test you will use a special solution.
For example, like using benedict, fehling, or other solutions depending on the food and the type of content you are going to test. Usually what indicates if a food has a substance according to a group is a change in color.
Here’s how to find out the content in a food test.
Carbohydrate content
One of the most important components in food is carbohydrates. This content is the main source of energy for the body.
Carbohydrates function to prevent ketosis, break down minerals, help metabolism, and so on.
Testing the carbohydrate content in food can use iodine solution. Another way you can also use benedict’s test through reducing sugar.
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Later, there will be reduction of the alkaline solution by the sugar containing the aldehyde group. The purpose of this redaction is to form colored cuprous oxide.
The food substance testing process will use an alkaline environment to grow isomerically. Apart from that, you can also go through the Molisch test and also the Fehling test.
Fat Content
Fats or lipids are organic compounds found in the bodies of plants, humans and animals. Of course fat also plays a role in the structure and function of cells, even though excess fat is not good for the body.
The property of fat is that it is insoluble in water. However, fats are organic compounds which can be brittle by using nonpolar organic solvents.
Well, in this case, fats can be brittle using benzene acetone, ether and chloroform. Fat serves as a second source of energy after carbohydrates.
The method of testing fatty foods only needs to use ethanol and water. You simply put ethanol in water.
If a cloudy white color appears, it means the food contains fat. That’s because fat also has a function as a heat retaining pad and also a carrier for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
You can also test the fat content by identifying the properties, types of lipids, and their properties. You only need to apply the solution on a paper, if it turns transparent or opaque, it means that there is fat content in the food.
Read Also: Differences in Animal and Vegetable Proteins that are Beneficial to the Body
Protein content
Furthermore, food tests can also identify protein content. There are lots of foods and vegetables that contain protein in them.
However, not everyone knows that the content is good for health.
Protein is one of the ingredients that plays a role in the formation of biomolecules. That way, protein will provide a source of energy to replace fat and carbohydrates.
The function of protein is also as an enzyme catalytic transport and storage. Not only that, there are also mechanical, protective, information processing, and protein movement functions.
The quality of this ingredient as the needs of the human body depends on the amino acids in it. Basically, protein only has about 20 naturally occurring amino acids with different shapes and functions.
However, each protein molecule can have hundreds, or even thousands, joined together to form a unique sequence.
Those are the various functions of a food substance test to find out what the ingredients are in it. Each nutrient is essential for growth and has its own portion to work on organ functions. (R10/HR Online)
