On Monday, January 22, 2018, 4th graders from Kahala Elementary School were transformed into Food Chemists. They used chemistry to determine the make up of various 21st Century food items.

These young Scientists took a sample of food and made a prediction as to the amount of sugar, starch, protein and fat contained in their sample.

They placed a small sample of food into their mortar, then added water using a transfer pipet and ground the food into a liquid slurry using a pestle. Using a transfer pipet, they transferred 1 milliliter of liquified food into 4 test tubes. Each tube was labeled and tested for the presence of sugar, starch, protein and fat.

Using a colorimetric assay that changes the color of the sample, the young Scientists could determine if the compound was present simply by looking at the color. They could also compare the amount of compound by comparing the intensity of the color change.

Some food items were really “gross” and “yucky” to process, while others were really “pretty”. The scientists were able to “see” the amount of fat contained in a lot of their food samples. They were able to “see” what food items contained sugar and what did not. They observed how artificial food colors affected their results. They also collaborated with classmates to compare multiple samples.

While they can not perform this test at home, this experiment encourages them to critically think about the nutritional content of the foods they eat.

Let’s think about how our modern 21st century diet compares to a traditional Hawaiian diet.

Click here to visit 4th graders from Kahala Elementary Photo Gallery