Comparative Enzymatic, Photosynthetic, and Carbohydrate Analysis of SoBe^ñ Drinks Yielding No Appreciable Difference

By: Stephen Difranco; Stacy Drob; Amy Hendricks; Eric Rueff

ãThe Evil Navigatorsä

LBS 145L

Sect. Thursday 1

Rebecca Degraaf; James Hardie

10/21/2004

Abstract

(Written by whole Group, revised by Group)

Energy drinks provide essential vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and other dietary components.Ê In order to test the hypothesis that there is no appreciable difference in the amount of sugars, proteins, carbohydrates and plant pigments of SoBe Nirvana^ï, SoBe Elixir 3C ^TM Orange Carrot, SoBe Energy^ï, SoBe MacLizardâs Special Recipe Lemonade^ï, and Liz Blizz^ï, an experiment was designed involving the comparative chemical analysis of these five SoBe^ñ varieties.Ê Various assays were performed on 5% solutions of the SoBe^ñ drinks.Ê Benedictâs, Barfoedâs, Selvinoffâs, and Bialâs tests were utilized to determine the presence of carbohydrates in the SoBe^ñ solutions and produced positive results for all of the drink varieties.Ê An Iodine test was also performed, producing negative results for the presence of starch in the SoBe^ñ solutions.Ê Additionally, paper chromatography was utilized to determine the identity of plant pigments present in the SoBe^ñ drinks.Ê This test showed that no photosynthetic pigments were present.Ê An absorbance spectrum was also determined for each variety, revealing that only Orange Carrot showed characteristic peaks.Ê These peaks between 350nm and 500nm corresponded to the known absorbance of Beta-carotene.Ê Each drink was then combined with catechol to test for the existence of PPO, yielding negative results.Ê Additionally, a Bradford assay was performed, showing that only Orange Carrot, Lemonade, and Liz Blizz had a measurable amount of protein.Ê Through analytic comparison between the experimental data of the five drinks, the hypothesis that no significant difference in the enzymatic, photosynthetic, and carbohydrate composition of the five SoBe^ñ beverages exists was validated.

Table 2: Qualitative carbohydrate test results for SoBe drinks, positive controls, and negative controls;

ãredä donotes red color change, ãrbä denotes red brown color change, ãnä denotes no color change

Êãolä denotes olive color change, ãbrä brown color change,

ãbbä denotes blue/black color change

*indicates positive control used for respective test;ÊÊ ^# indicates negative control used for respective test

Benedict's Test

Barfoed's Test

Selivanoff's Test

Bial's Test

Iodine Test

Treatments and Controls

ÊTrial 1

Trial 2

Avg. Weight (g)

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 2

Time (s)

Trial 3

Time (s)

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 1

Trial 2

Orange Carrot

0.335

red

Nirvana

0.346

red

Energy

0.367

red

Lemonade

0.341

red

Lizz Blizz

0.344

red

Glucose

rbÊÊ *

redÊÊ *

nÊÊÊÊ *

145

nÊÊÊÊÊ *

150

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Fructose

rbÊÊ *

redÊÊ *

brÊÊÊÊ *

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Galactose

rbÊÊ *

redÊÊ *

nÊÊÊÊ *

150

nÊÊÊÊÊÊ *

150

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Xylose

rbÊÊ *

rb ÊÊ*

redÊÊ *

olÊÊÊÊ *

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Lactose

rbÊÊ *

nÊÊÊ ^#

nÊÊÊÊ *

150

nÊÊÊÊÊ *

155

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Maltose

rbÊÊ *

nÊÊÊ ^#

nÊÊÊÊ *

155

nÊÊÊÊÊ *

150

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

nÊÊÊÊ Ê^#

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Sucrose

nÊÊÊ ^#

redÊÊ *

brÊÊÊÊ *

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Starch

nÊÊÊ ^#

nÊÊÊÊ *

160

nÊÊÊÊÊ *

165

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

bbÊÊÊÊ *

Water

nÊÊÊ ^#

nÊÊÊ Ê^#

nÊÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

nÊÊÊÊÊ ^#

Through experimental research and analysis of the resulting data, the theory that there is no appreciable difference in the amount of proteins, complex carbohydrates and plant pigments in the five different varieties of SoBe^ñ drinks was substantiated. The original predictions from this hypothesis were validated through analysis of the data.Ê All of the drinks contained relatively similar amounts of sugar, were almost completely void of plant pigments, and contained no PPO.Ê Additionally, Bradford assay determined that only Orange Carrot, Lemonade, and Liz Blizz contained measurable amounts of protein.Ê This protein level was almost equal among the drinks.

Each treatment displayed red precipitate when run with Benedictâs reagent, indicating the presence of reducing sugars.Ê This is not surprising, as high fructose corn syrup (a reducing sugar) was listed as a major ingredient in each drink (Table 1).Ê After each reaction, the resulting precipitate was separated and massed.Ê This provided the basis for a rough quantitative analysis of the amount of reducing sugars.Ê Generally, each solution yielded the same amount of product, averaging 0.3466g with a small standard deviation of 0.0121.Ê However, Energy had the highest yield with 0.367g.Ê This corresponds to the manufacturerâs label, which records 31g of sugar per serving, the highest sugar content of the varieties tested (Table 1).ÊÊÊ

All varieties produced a color change after Barfoedâs test, indicative of the presence of reducing monosaccharides.Ê Although Barfoedâs test is a good indicator of their presence, this test did not eliminate the possibility that each sample contained both mono- and polysaccharides.Ê Additionally, no quantitative implications could be drawn.Ê

When run in a Selivanoffâs assay, each treatment showed a color change within 1 minute, revealing that ketose sugars were present.Ê Again, the presence of fructose, a ketose sugar, was likely attributed to the sugar content of the original ingredients.Ê The high orange juice content of each drink coincides with these results, as it is high in fructose.Ê The results Barfoedâs test substantiate this claim, as fructose is both a monosacchride and a reducing sugar.Ê This test, however, did not rule out the possibility that other ketoses such as xylose were present, nor did it confirm the absence of aldose sugars (Table 1).ÊÊÊÊÊ

In the Bialâs assay run, each sample changed color, indicating the presence of a furanose ring.Ê Moreover, this ring was determined to be a hexofuranose due to the olive color change.Ê Once more, this is suggestive of fructose but does not rule out the presence of other sugars.Ê As predicted, no starch was detected by the Iodine test.Ê As a non-reducing polysaccharide containing no furanose rings, the lack of starch coincides with all the other findings (Table 3).Ê

As in all tests of this nature, error can be accounted for in the subjectivity of the color change observed.Ê Although all tests were conducted multiple times and all concentrations and temperatures were held as close to constant as possible, simple human error in evaluating color change could still occur.ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ

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October 2004