Egg Cell Macromolecules Lab

In this lab we asked the question "Can macromolecules be identified in an egg cell?" We found that the egg membrane tested positive for protein. The egg membrane turned from blue to purple, signifying that the macromolecule was present. The quantitative amount of protein the egg membrane contained was at a level of 7. The egg membrane is naturally white, so we knew that the macromolecule, protein, was in it when the membrane turned purple. The egg membrane tested positive for having monosaccharides because the carbohydrates store energy there. This concept connects to the information learned in the Unit 4 Miniature Biology Vodcast. This data supports our claim because carbohydrates are sugars broken down by mitochondria to make ATP.

Our data contradicts the expected results because not enough drops of Sudan III were placed into the test tubes to accurately test for lipids. This affected the results because the lack of Sudan III caused the egg membrane to test negative for the lipids. An error that could have occurred would be not timing how long the test tubes sat in hot water for the monosaccharide test. This would affect results because the benedict's solution would not have enough time to change from its blue color. Due to these errors,  in future experiments I would recommend telling the students repetitively the number of drops needed in each of the tests.

This lab was done to demonstrate the different macromolecules that can be found in specific parts of a cell. From this lab I learned that an egg membrane contains, monosaccharides, polysaccharides, and protein. The egg yolk contains lipids, and the egg white is protein. This helps me understand the concept of macromolecules and their functions, such as how monosaccharides and polysaccharides are used as energy storage. Based on my experience from this lab, I can apply this information to our recent vodcast, "What does a Cell do?", and  connect the information about where macromolecules are located.