Egg Macromolecules Lab

   In different parts of the egg there are different types of macromolecules.  When the egg membrane was tested it was found that on a scale of 0-10 there where 10 proteins and 3 lipids.  This shows that the egg membrane contains proteins and lipids.  Since we know the molecular structure of the membrane, we can infer that the proteins in the membrane are transport proteins that allow molecules in or out of the cell.  The lipids in the membrane are the main structure of the membrane and the main composition of the egg membrane.  The egg white contains proteins and lipids too.  On the test they both scored a 6 on a scale of 0-10.  The proteins in the egg white are most likely enzymes to protect the egg from invasive growths.  The lipids in the egg white are to give the chicken nutrition inside the egg.  The egg yolk contains many proteins and a small amount of lipids.  For proteins it scored an 8, and lipids scored a 1 on the test.  The egg yolk is a basic structure for the chicken to grow and contains mostly proteins to grow.

   While our hypothesis supported our data our data might have been effected by a few factors.  One of these factors is that the original data was the qualitative color of the sample, quantified by scaling it from 0-10 based on the person's opinion, so there is still no exact number for it.  Also the observations where taken by 4 different people so the opinions would vary from person to person.  And lastly, the data was taken from only one set of data, and not the average of a large set of data which would be more accurate.   Due to these errors, in future experiments we could also have all the observations taken by one person.  Or we could take more sets of data to produce a more accurate result.  However with the time limitations of a class period this might not be realistic in a class setting.

   I would however, recommend a color key similar to the color key on ph tests, but for the different solutions we are using to test the egg.  This would help make our data more quantitative and accurate, so that each particular color has a designated number.  This lab was done to demonstrate which macromolecules where found in each particular part of the egg.  This understanding can be applied to which parts of the cell contain each macromolecule, since the egg is a very large cell.  From this lab I learned where each marcomolecule is inside a cell which helps me understand macromolecules and their uses in the different parts of the cell.  Based on my experience from this lab, I can understand what each particular macromolecule is used for, and I know how to use some of the solutions that we used to test for macromolecules.

The macromolecules that I tested for in lipids:

The macromolecules my group members tested for in proteins, polysaccharides, and monosaccharides: