Summer SAVY 2016 (Session 5, Day 4) – Culinary Chemistry (Dr. Lapointe)

Posted by hallep on Thursday, July 28, 2016 in Grade 3, Grade 4, PTY News, SAVY.

Day 4 in Culinary Chemistry II was all about two more macromolecules in our food: DNA and enzymes. The students extracted DNA from strawberries and got to take it home in a necklace. (Ask them why we used strawberries to extract DNA). We learned about the enzyme catalase which is found in many fruits and vegetables, including potatoes. Catalase converts hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen gas, so we were able to see the oxygen gas bubble out in the chemical reaction. In the afternoon we also got a little creative and performed skits about food safety. We made it a little competitive and voted for the best skit. Tomorrow we are going to learn about what calories are and even how to calculate calories using a technique called calorimetry. We are also going on a trip to a lab at Vanderbilt! We can’t wait to show the parents what we have learned at the open house!