I Screen, You Screen, We All Screen for Phenolics

Michael B. Sady
Department of Chemistry, Western Nevada Community College, Douglas Campus, Minden, NV 89423
J. Chem. Educ., 2005, 82 (12), p 1808A
DOI: 10.1021/ed082p1808A
Publication Date (Web): December 1, 2005

Abstract

Grapes, and their processed products such as juices and preserves, contain considerable amounts of chemicals generally referred to as phenolic compounds. These phenolic compounds are primarily characterized structurally as flavonoid (which includes the fruit skin pigments known as anthocyanins), hydroxycinnamate, stilbene, and hydroxybenzoate derivatives, having at least one moiety of phenol that they each share in common. Phenolic compounds have been identified as being an important source of nutrition in the human diet, reported in the scientific literature to have antioxidant attributes that delay or inhibit cardiovascular deterioration, cancer, and aging. This Classroom Activity employs a colorimetric visualization test that allows a student to simply and rapidly screen grape juice for phenolic content from fresh, bottled, or frozen concentrate samples. Students also use the visualization test to examine whether they can detect differences in phenolic content of juice samples based on different variety, or processing, of grapes. The Activity can pedagogically and safely be used in the field, vineyard, classroom, or lab.

Keywords:

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords:

Laboratory Instruction

Keywords:

JCE Classroom Activity

Keywords:

Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives

Keywords:

Food Science
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History

  • Received: August 03, 2009

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