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Please help!!! Why does the colour leak out of cooked beetroot?

Ive done the experiment for this, looking at temperature. I placed raw beetroot into different temperatures of distilled water and used a colorimeter to find the colour concentration. I noticed that the higher the temperature, the more concentrated the colour was.

But i dont really get how to explain that biologically :s-smilie:

Can someone help pleeeeeeease?

Reply 1

unfinished sympathy

15

is it something to do with diffusion or osmosis or something like that?

Reply 2

amywalters

OP

1

unfinished sympathy

is it something to do with diffusion or osmosis or something like that?

Yeah it is.. but I just can't expand further lol.

Reply 3

unfinished sympathy

15

amywalters

Yeah it is.. but I just can't expand further lol.

surely its on the net, or in a revision guide.. its years since i studied biology, just thought id add my twopenneth though :p:

Reply 4

rahmed

membrane ruptures, pigments leak = purple

Reply 5

dezlee

7

lol

the higher temperatures mean there is more heat. heat denatures the phospholipids bilayer, so the contents of the vacuole (the pigment) are able to diffuse out of the bilayer without a problem

sorry, but this is a very brief answer. You might also want to check on this, lol

Reply 6

unfinished sympathy

15

dezlee

lol

the higher temperatures mean there is more heat. heat denatures the phospholipids bilayer, so the contents of the vacuole (the pigment) are able to diffuse out of the bilayer without a problem

sorry, but this is a very brief answer. You might also want to check on this, lol

bloomin heck now i know why i never studied biology!

Reply 7

digitalis

17

Heat denatures the proteins embedded in the fluid mosaic structure of the cell membrane, basically trying to pick a...plum out of the skin of a bowl of custard?! Haha, crap analogy but I feel like custard now...u know how the skin of your nice bowl of custard will break when u try and rip the plum out, well then...in a cell, that tear will cause all the nice red pigment to leak out via diffusion into the surrounding water.

This question was answered a week back I think, try a search :smile:

Reply 8

Gregorian IV

8

membrane made of proteins
Heat dentaures proteins
When denatured the fluid leaks out of the cells via osmosis

Reply 9

nikk

15

Gregorian IV

membrane made of proteins
Heat dentaures proteins
When denatured the fluid leaks out of the cells via osmosis

Although the membrane contains numerous proteins in the form of receptors, channels, enzymes, anchors, etc, it is not made from proteins. A membrane is a bilayer of phospholipid molecules, with the hydrophobic tails pointing toward the inside of the membrane.

Reply 10

rahmed

yeah, the proteins are responsible to holding the bilayer together to some extent - when they break the support fails.

Reply 11

dezlee

7

Lol, the heat denatures the proteins, which breaks down the phospholipid bilayer. This bilayer controls what passes in and out of the cell. However, once destroyed, it does not have this control anymore, and thus, the contents will leak out into the surrounding water.In this case, it is a purple dye :P

Reply 12

digitalis

17

Lol, the heat denatures the proteins, which breaks down the phospholipid bilayer

No, it doesnt!! It denatures proteins embedded in the fluid mosaic structure of the cell membrane, phospholipid bilayer will not be affected that much at like boiling temps only

Look...see the proteins? When they get destroyed, there are holes in the cell membrane..that causes the pigment to diffuse out

Reply 13

Gregorian IV

8

nikk

Although the membrane contains numerous proteins in the form of receptors, channels, enzymes, anchors, etc, it is not made from proteins. A membrane is a bilayer of phospholipid molecules, with the hydrophobic tails pointing toward the inside of the membrane.

yeah but i was hoping she knew that..i was in a rush

Reply 14

dezlee

7

Lol, sorry, I got it wrong :P

Reply 15

RyanY

1

rahmed

yeah, the proteins are responsible to holding the bilayer together to some extent - when they break the support fails.

I thought that was the role of cholesterol, for mechnical stability and structuring the bilayer??

Reply 16

sejal

try this link....
its really helpful =)
http://madsci.org/posts/archives/2004-03/1080223472.Cb.r.html

i hope it helps =)

Reply 17

Variola

There seems to be a thing for beetroot experiments at the moment....I answered one similar to this a week ago!!! :-)

Ok as said above, the heat denatures the proteins, allowing the betanin ( the purple stuff)to leak out. The bi-layer would only be temporarily affected, imagine heating up lard, it turns to oil and then when it cools it would returns to lard again. Proteins however are different,once exposed to heat they change their conformation, like cooking chicken! Betanin is a large molecule and would not normally be carried out of the cell.
What you are trying to establish is how much of an effect temperature has on it. i.e if the temp is higher does this cause more denaturing of proteins and therefore a higher concentration of colour.

HTH :-)

Reply 18

X44KSA

rahmed

membrane ruptures, pigments leak = purple

#

i cnt seeem to remember any mre questions.....wot else cme upp.??
x

Please help!!! Why does the colour leak out of cooked beetroot?

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