Name ______________________________ Period __________________ Date __________________
BIOTECHNOLOGY LAB—DESIGN YOUR OWN
Biotechnology and Food Products
BACKGROUND
Legumes, or beans, affect many people, and their digestion, more than they would like. Beans,
which are actually plant seeds, contain several types of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are sugars that
store chemical energy and can be broken down to provide a source of energy for our cells. Certain
enzymes found in the human body break down some types of carbohydrates in the small intestine.
However, some types of carbohydrates cannot be digested in humans because an enzyme needed for
the breakdown of these carbohydrates is not present.
The "fiber" in your diet, which you need for the health of your colon, is made up of carbohydrates
that your body cannot digest. Fiber moves from the small intestine to the large intestine and then to
the colon. There, enzymes from bacteria can break down the fiber. However, one of the unpleasant
products from the breakdown of fiber is gas.
Advances in biotechnology have allowed people to once again enjoy beans and other foods, such as
broccoli, that produce excessive gas. Beano contains the enzyme -galactosidase. The galactosidase
in Beano breaks down the fiber in the intestines without the production of excess gases. Glucose is
one product of the break down of fiber.
SCENARIO
Suppose you are one of millions of people who have stopped eating refried beans, broccoli, and
other "gassy" foods. You have heard of Beano, and you wonder if it works best on raw foods,
cooked foods, or on certain types of foods. You have decided to design your own experiment to
determine the conditions under which Beano works best. You will measure the effectiveness of
Beano by measuring the quantity of glucose present in food samples after Beano is added to the
samples.
MATERIALS
 3
 test
small cups
 tablespoon
 2 tbsp canned beans, navy
 2 tbsp soaked beans (raw), navy
 2 tbsp cooked broccoli
 2 tbsp raw broccoli
 3 tbsp water
 3 test tubes
tube rack
 250 mL beaker
 test tube clamp
 hot plate
 ice bath
 Beano
 3 glucose test strips
 clock
INVESTIGATIVE QUESTION (PROBLEM)
Which types of foods does Beano best work on?
or
Which temperature is Beano most effective?
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Name ______________________________ Period __________________ Date __________________
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
PART 1: CHOOSE WHAT FOOD YOU WILL TEST
1. Consider the food products from which you can choose. Decide whether you will test the
effectiveness of Beano on:
a. raw versus cooked broccoli
b. raw versus cooked navy beans or
c. one vegetable at a certain temperature.
2. Write a hypothesis in "If...then…because" format to answer the problem question.
3. Identify the independent (manipulated), dependent (responding) and controlled variables.
4. Identify the control group of the experiment.
(Hint: this is the group separate from the experimental group and should not change due to the
independent variable).
-If you’re testing temperature, then the control group would be room temperature water.
-If you’re testing raw or cooked, then the control group would be the water (submerged).
PART 2: TESTING PROCEDURE
1. In different cups, mix together 1 tablespoon of each food sample and 1 tablespoon of water.
2. Be sure that you’re experimental group is separate from your control group.
3. If you are testing temperature, choose either cooked or raw vegetables and transfer your
mixtures to the test tubes. Heat until boiling or cool in an ice bath. Wait until the water is boiling
at 100C or the ice bath water is at 15C. Remove from the hot plate or ice bath and go to step 5.
4. If you are testing different types of foods, such as canned beans versus soaked (raw) beans, go
to step 5.
5. Add 5 drops of Beano to each food sample in your experimental conditions. Using a stir stick
mix the solutions thoroughly for 1 minute.
6. Use the glucose test strips to test for the presence of glucose once a minute for four minutes.
Use a new strip for each of the different cups or test tubes.
7. Record the color of the glucose test strips in your data table. Look at the instructions on the
glucose test strip box and record in your table the glucose concentration in mg/dL.
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Name ______________________________ Period __________________ Date __________________
RESULTS: DRAW THE APPROPRIATE DATA TABLE IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
DATA TABLE: CONCENTRATION OF GLUCOSE (MG/DL) OF COOKED OR RAW VEGETABLE
[TYPE OF
VEGETABLE]
RAW
COOKED
CONTROL
GLUCOSE
CONCENTRATION
(MG/DL) (4X)
CLASS AVERAGE
GLUCOSE
CONCENTRATION
(MG/DL) (4X)
DATA TABLE: CONCERATION OF GLUCOSE (MG/DL) OF BOILED OR ICED VEGETABLE
[TYPE OF
VEGETABLE]
BOILED WATER
(100C)
ICED WATER (15C)
CONTROL (ROOM
TEMP.)
GLUCOSE
CONCENTRATION
(MG/DL) (4X)
CLASS AVERAGE
GLUCOSE
CONCENTRATION
(MG/DL) (4X)
ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE
 GRAPH YOUR DATA ON GRAPH PAPER AND TAPE IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
GRAPH DATA
Draw a line graph to present your results. Plot time on the x-axis and glucose concentration
(mg/dL) on the y-axis. Use two different colors, one for your control condition and one for the
experimental condition.
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Name ______________________________ Period __________________ Date __________________
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS:
1. Analyze Explain whether your results support or fail to support your hypothesis.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Analyze Describe what condition you tested and explain in which condition Beano was most
effective.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. Infer For what other types of foods might Beano be helpful?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. Apply Name another consumer product that has been developed through advances in biotechnology.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
CONCLUSION
Use your supporting data, observations, and prior knowledge to develop a conclusive summary to
support or reject your hypothesis based on your testing.
Refer to your Final Draft Lab Report conclusion include information for all 4 required bullets. 
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Name ______________________________ Period __________________ Date __________________
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