Meat Tenderizer Lab Report

Hypothesis: If we add pineapple and meat tenderizer to the gelatin, then it will not congeal.

Materials needed: Gelatin, Fresh and canned pineapple, Meat tenderizer, Beakers, Cold and boiling water, a timer, 4-5 bowls, 4-5 test tubes and a rack, and a few spoons.

STEPS

Step 1. First gather materials.

Step 2. Add one cube of the gelatin and one cube of fresh pineapple in one of the bowls. Repeat in the 3 other bowls except switch out the fresh pineapple with canned pineapple, meat tenderizer, and gelatin with no pineapple (1/2-1 teaspoon each).

Step 3. Set a timer for 20 minutes and watch your experiment. Make sure the pineapple and meat tenderizer are placed on top of the gelatin for an accurate result.

Step 4. Record how the gelatin

The test tubes did not gel when we added the fresh and canned pineapple because it contains bromelain which is an enzyme that breaks down protein. This enzyme broke down the gelatin causing it to liquefy. The same happened when the meat tenderizer was added except it completely liquefied the gelatin. This is because it too contains bromelain. The cold pineapple and meat tenderizer didn’t really affect the gelatin but it did cause it to gel a little more. This may be because we didn’t wait long enough for it to go back to room temperature or it broke down the bromelain allowing the gelatin to

What is (are) the product(s) in you experiment?
-

6. What type of organic molecule is gelatin?
- A protein

7. What type of organic molecule is bromelain?
- A protein

8. Write a word equation to describe the chemical reaction that occurs when pineapple is mixed with the gelatin.
- 1 cube of pineapple + 1 cube of gelatin = ¼ liquefied gelatin 1-1/2 teaspoon of canned pineapple + 1 cube of gelatin = ½ liquefied gelatin 1-1/2 teaspoon of meat tenderizer + 1 cube of gelatin = fully liquefied gelatin
9. Is the reaction of bromelain and gelatin dehydration synthesis of hydrolysis? Explain.
- It is hydrolysis because it breaks down the polypeptides and involves the insertion of a water molecule. 10. Why were the results of the canned (cooked) pineapple different than the results of the fresh, raw pineapple?
- Because most of the canned pineapples’ bromelain was destroyed in the canning process while the fresh pineapple still contains bromelain causing the reactions to be different.

11. What is meat tenderizer and what does it actually do?
-It is an enzyme powder that contains papain and bromelain which breaks down the collagen in meats.

12. Design an experiment to test at what specific temperature the pineapple enzyme