Day 2: Proteins

Learn more about the science of proteins and then complete your own kitchen experiments including comparing eggs and making cheese!

Activities in this lesson: 1. Comparing Eggs Activity 2. Protein Aggregation Video Experiment Demos


Proteins are one of the macromolecules found in food, along with fat and carbohydrates. When we eat foods containing proteins our bodies break them down into amino acids and then we use those amino acids to build our own proteins that we need for our bodies. Proteins in our bodies play many important roles, including building structures within our cells, as well as completing tasks such as being messengers (hormones), transporting substances through the blood (hemoglobin), and making antibodies that help us fight disease. It’s important to eat foods containing protein because we cannot make all 20 amino acids we need on our own. Foods such as eggs, milk, meat, nuts, and fish are all high in protein. Learn more in the video below!

In the first activity of this protein lesson you will compare eggs and examine the difference between them.

Click here to read more about Egg Anatomy

Click here to go to the Comparing Eggs Lab

In the second activity of this protein lesson you will learn about the science of protein aggregation and complete 3 mini activities to experiment with the topic.

Activities included in the video:

  • Modeling protein aggregation with pipe-cleaners

    Making cheese with milk and vinegar

  • Scrambling eggs with rubbing alcohol

If you have any questions about an activity or need any help, please contact: Lindsey Johnson LJohnson@cart.org or Laurie Hayes LHayes@cart.org

Materials

Eggs 6
Rubbing Alcohol 1
Milk 1
Vinegar 1
Piece of thin fabric (Cheesecloth, thin kitchen towel, T-shirt, pillowcase) 1
Pipe-cleaners 5
Colored beads or Markers 5
Ruler 1
Pin, Needle, or Thumbtack 1
Build date: 2020-07-13 16:03:10.92338989 +0000 UTC m=+0.086865694