Protein Determination in Milk, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Determining the protein content in milk requires a specific experimental approach that will identify the amount of nitrogen that is evident within a given milk sample by using the biuret method. Diluting the protein sample is required in order to evaluate the conditions under which its content may be derived. In the experimental phase, it is important to utilize reagents such as Folin and Ciocalteau’s phenol reagent and Biuret reagent to evaluate protein content as accurately as possible. Once the preparations have been made, it is important to measure optical density using a cuvette and to evaluate the data generated with that of other students to make further determinations regarding the protein content in question.

Materials and Methods

The identification of protein in milk requires a specific experimental protocol that is used the laboratory in order to achieve the desired results. This method does not work effectively when the protein concentration is over 1000 ug/ml; therefore, a solution of 0.85% NaCl is likely to promote the necessary dilution for further consideration. With the use of a 50 ml volumetric flask, 500 ul of protein will be diluted using the aforementioned solution, and this process will provide a standard curve for the protein analysis portion of the experiment. Proper labeling of all items is required at all phases of the experiment, including test tubes, and this provides further support for an accurate determination of the milk sample and its contents in order to achieve greater accuracy in the study results that will be generated. Finally, optical density must be measured at 750 nm in order to evaluate the sample effectively. These steps must be followed in an accurate manner in order to promote an accurate framework for analysis and discussion of the study results.

Results and Discussion

The following data was derived from the study and provided further evidence of the protein concentration in the given milk sample:

Table 1. Calibration Data for the Milk Sample

Table 2. Quality Control and Milk Sample Data

The tables referenced above provide further evidence of the protein concentrations that were derived and how to further analyze these figures in order to draw conclusions regarding the protein concentration of milk and how it impacts milk products in different ways. This also reflects the importance of understanding the dynamics of protein concentration in milk and how it is evaluated during an experiment so that students are able to better understand its role in promoting healthy nutrition in milk and related products that are consumed by human beings on a regular basis.

Based on the conditions of this experiment, it is important to recognize that on a chemical level, substances with more than one peptide bond will change color within a reagent, typically a purple color (Caprette, 1995). The use of a cuvette to analyze the sample is typical, along with a light spectrophotometer to evaluate the sample (Caprette, 1995). The protein reading will be evaluated based upon the color of the sample and how much is present within the milk sample for further discussion (Caprette, 1995).

For this experiment and the overall analysis of protein within a given substance, it is important to implement quality control factors because they represent a means of identifying possible areas where the surrounding environment could be compromised or impacted by the conditions within the laboratory environment. Therefore, it is important to have a comparison sample that has not been touched and has not been affected by the surrounding environment in order to evaluate the accuracy of the testing sample and how it might be different from the quality control sample. This is important because it conveys the imperfections of the laboratory environment and how quality control measures are effective in addressing these issues and what they might mean for a given experiment.

The use of quality controls in this experiment also provides further evidence in determining whether or not the samples that have been derived have been properly tested and have been analyzed at the appropriate level. This is a necessary component of the value of laboratory experimentation, as well as the challenges of this practice as it impacts experimentation in a variety of areas, even in the medical field and in laboratory testing for illnesses and blood values, for example. This also reflects the importance of understanding the dynamics of testing and accuracy in the laboratory setting in order to achieve the desired results as closely as possible.

The measurement of protein concentration in foods is very important because proteins serve a variety of purposes in a variety of food products, such as providing energy to individuals in different forms, along with amino acids such as leucine, valine, tryptophan, and lysine, all of which providing building blocks for foods and for energy (McClements). In addition, proteins within foods provide additional texture and an appealing presence for many foods (McClements). Finally, proteins also serve as a form of thickener, gelling agent, and emulsifier in foods that embody these properties (McClements). As a result, it is important to analyze these proteins and their impact on foods in the laboratory environment more closely in order to determine their overall nutritional value and benefit to human beings and animals in different forms that impact the health of living animals.

Finally, understanding the protein concentration of different foods is an important step towards the development of nutritional guidelines and frameworks for different types of populations, based upon physical chemistry and other needs that impact health and wellbeing. Therefore, human nutrition must include an analysis of the overall composition of foods in order to evaluate how they impact nutrition for humans and animals. When proteins are identified in foods, some of them have the ability to impact how food chemistry occurs, including the development of some biochemical reactions that impact foods and how they impact body chemistry in different ways (McClements). This is an important tool because it reflects the value of understanding how proteins react in a laboratory setting in order to determine how they might react within foods and within the body once they are consumed. This process provides further evidence of the overall need to evaluate proteins within food and how this benefits nutrition and the overall understanding of how food impacts health.

References

Caprette, D.R. (1995). Biuret protein assay. Retrieved from      http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/methods/protein/biuret.html

McClements, D.J. 6. Analysis of proteins. Retrieved from http://people.umass.edu/~mcclemen/581Proteins.html