Have you ever wondered what a simple sugar is? Discover the structure of simple carbohydrates and how you can test for the presence of simple sugars in food samples.
High School
University / College
This short, targeted simulation is adapted from the full-length “Introduction to Food Macromolecules” simulation.
Discover the simple carbohydrates in your food! In this simulation, you will be introduced to the chemical structures of simple carbohydrates and the importance of simple carbohydrates within our diets. Begin by examining their structure and then learn how to test for the presence of simple sugars in food samples using Benedict's test.
Jump into the food sample
Begin by jumping inside a bottle of syrup to initiate an animation that explains the chemical building blocks that make up simple sugars. Identify the difference between aldose and ketose sugars. Learn about the linear and ring forms of monosaccharides, such as glucose and fructose, and find out how the linear form can change into ring form and vice versa. Discover how a glycosidic bond can form between two monosaccharides to make a disaccharide, such as lactose and sucrose. Finally, return to the lab to perform an experiment which will test for the presence of these simple sugars.
Use Benedict's test
You will assay food samples using Benedict’s test for simple carbohydrates. A range of food samples have been prepared and their respective solution placed in a test tube. Perform the test for each food sample and observe the color change over time. Identify the positive and negative result for the test. Then use what you have learnt to determine which food samples contain simple carbohydrates. Does your friend's salad contain simple carbohydrates?
Review your knowledge
Put your knowledge of simple carbohydrates to the test in quizzes throughout the simulation. Can you spot the differences and similarities between a variety of simple carbohydrates?
Length:
15
mins
Accessibility mode:
Available
Languages:
English (United States)
Spanish
French
German
At the end of this simulation, you will be able to:
Recognise the structure of a simple carbohydrate.
Test for the presence of simple carbohydrates in food samples.
Identify similarities and differences between simple carbohydrates
At the end of this simulation, you will be able to:
University
NGSS
IB
AP
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Recognise the structure of a simple carbohydrate.
Test for the presence of simple carbohydrates in food samples.
Identify similarities and differences between simple carbohydrates