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TITLE OF EXPERIMENT Determination of Physical Properties of Fats Or Oils

INTRODUCTION The terminology applied to fats is based on the chemical structure of their molecules. Fats and oils belong to a group of biological substances called lipids. Lipids are biological chemicals that do not dissolve in water. They serve a variety of functions in organisms, such as regulatory messengers (hormones), structural components of membranes, and as energy storehouses. Fats and oils generally function in the latter capacity. Fats differ from oils only in that they are solid at room temperature, while oils are liquid. Fats and oils share a common molecular structure. Fats and oils are esters of the tri-alcohol, glycerol (or glycerine). Therefore, fats and oils are commonly called triglycerides, although a more accurate name is triacylglycerols. One of the reactions of triglycerides is hydrolysis of the ester groups. Naturally occurring fats and oils are Triglycerides. Triglycerides consist of three fatty acids bound to a Glycerol backbone. Each fatty acid consists of a Carbon-Hydrogen chain with a Carboxyl group at the end that is attached to the Glycerol molecule. The other end is typically terminated with a Hydrogen bond. Unless changed chemically, by artificial technology, this is the natural form which we find in the fats and oils that are nutritionally useful. The length of the fatty acid chain as well as its configuration and relative degree of saturation determine how the fatty acid will act within our body.

All dietary fatty acids may be divided into two categories: Saturated and Unsaturated. The Unsaturated fats and oils differ from each other in their configuration and in their degree of unsaturation. Both types of fatty acids are produced by the animal and by the vegetable. Saturated fats are characterized by having all of the possible molecular locations for a Hydrogen bond filled. Thus, at the moludular level, there is no molecular difference between a saturated vegetable fat or a saturated animal fat of the same chain length. There also is no molecular difference between a natural and an artificial saturated fat of the same chain length.

A. DETERMINATION OF MELTING POINT INTRODUCTION The difference between fats and oils is in their melting point. Fats tend to be solids at room temperature; oils tend to be liquid at room temperature. To turn a fat into an oil, merely raise its temperature above its melting point. If the temperature continues to increase beyond the melting point to the point where some smoke becomes evident, the molecular structure of the oils will change and a number of toxic molecular isomers will be produced in the oil. If the oil is allowed to cool or to resolidify, the toxic products will remain. The temperatures where this damage is done to our fats and oils is about half the temperatures reached in the refining and Hydrogenation processes. Thus, these processes routinely destroy all of the nutritional value of our fats and oils. These refined and/or Hydrogenated fats and oils are characterized by an extraordinarily long shelf life; some are virtually unspoilable. .

A variety of methods exist for the determination of the melting point of fats. These include the Wiley melting point (The temperature at which a solid fat turns into a liquid, measured by warming a fat until it loses its shape), slip point (The temperature at which a solid fat becomes more liquid-like. It is measured by warming a fat sample in a small tube and observing the temperature at which it moves), softening point and Mettler dropping point (The temperature at which a solid fat turns into a liquid, measured by warming the fat until it forms a drop of liquid). The conditions under which the tests are performed influence the values obtained. Several of these methods were compared using a variety of fats, including margarine and soft margarine oils, lard, butter and hydrogenated Canola oils. The Mettler dropping-point values were found to coincide with the extrapolated solid fat curves obtained using wide-line NMR for all fats except butterfat. The reproducibilities of the Mettler dropping point and softening point were excellent; that of the slip point was poor.

OBJECTIVES To determine the melting point of fats or oil

MATERIAL / APPARATUS Fats / oil Capillary tube (7.5 cm long, 1.5 cm internal diameter, and 0.9 mm capillary bore) Hot plate Thermometer Beaker, 1000 mL Tong

METHODS 1. 1cm length of fats or oil which has been melted into capillary tube was inserted by using a piece of filter paper. 2. The capillary tube was cooled at temperature of <0 C for 2 hours 3. This tube was submerged in water so that the top of end of the fat or oil is 1cm below the level of water. It was use approximately 700 mL water contained in a 1000 mL beaker. 4. The thermometer was hanged in the middle of the beaker. The water was heated at the rate of 10 C / minutes. 5. The temperature was recorded at which the fat starts to slip out of the tube and also the final temperature when all the fats have slipped out of the tube. This temperature or range of temperature is referred to as the slip point (or melting point). DISCUSSION In this practical, we have learned how to determine the melting point of fats or oil using capillary tube method. For this experiment, we use butter and margarine as sample of fats or oil. To determine the melting point both of it, we submerged capillary tube which contain butter or margarine that has been melted inside, in water so that the we can record at which the fat starts to slip out of the tube and also the final temperature when all the fats has slipped out of the tube. Before start this experiment, the capillary tube that contain butter or margarine must be kept in the cool at a temperature of less than 0oC for 2 hours. We kept this capillary tube in the cool because we want the sample freeze inside the capillary tube. This temperature or range of temperature is referred to as the slip point (or melting point).

All the results are recorded in Table 1.1 on Data Sheet. The initial temperature of butter is 38
o

C while the final temperature is 51.8oC. Meanwhile, the initial temperature for margarine is

30.7 oC and the final temperature is 57.8 oC. For this experiment, we repeat the experiment 3 times to get the accurate readings. After we compared the reading between initial and final temperature of butter and margarine, we realized that butter has lower temperature reading than butter. It shows that, margarine has high melting point than butter. Thats mean; butter is soft and easy to be melt because it is unsaturated and has a shorter chain than butter. The Unsaturated fats and oils differ from each other in their configuration and in their degree of unsaturation. Saturated fats are characterized by having all of the possible molecular locations for a Hydrogen bond filled. As the length of the fatty acid chain lengthens the melting point of the fat increases. Thus, fats which are solid at room temperature have longer chain lengths than fats which are liquid at room temperatures.

A. DETERMINATION OF REFRACTIVE INDEX (RI)

INTRODUCTION The refractive index of a transparent medium is defined as the relationship of the vacuum velocity of light and the velocity of light within said medium. The name derives from the presence of this value in Snells Law. Snells Law says that a ray of light will change its direction or break as it passes from one transparent medium to another. The refractive index is a physical variable that is independent of temperature and medium. As every substance has a different influence on the velocity of light, each transparent medium has its own typical refractive index. In a medium with a refractive index of 1.5 = 3/2, the lights velocity is 2/3 of the vacuum velocity of light, i.e. 200,000 km/sec. The fat or oil is put on the prism of a refractometer. After tempering at the determination temperature for 2 minutes, the refraction of light (caused by the change in velocity) can be determined and converted to the refractive index. The optical density of a medium is not the same as its physical density. The physical density of a material refers to the mass/volume ratio. Optical density determines how much a light wave is slowed down as it passes through a medium. The more optically dense a material is, the slower that a wave will move through the material. The refractive index is a measurement of optical density. A medium with a low optical density, would have also a low refractive index.

OBJECTIVES To determine the refractive index of fats or oil.

MATERIAL / APPARATUS : Fats / oil Disposal plastic pipette / dropper Abbe Refractometer Tissue paper Dropping bottle filled with acetone

METHOD Refractometer and sodium vapour lamp was using to determine RI with the following temperatures 20 C for oils, 40-60 C for hydrogenated fats, and 80 C for waxes. 1. Scale adjustment procedure: 2-3 drops of distilled water was placed on the main prism surface using syringe, the secondary prism was covered and looked through the eyepiece. 2. The secondary prism was opened and 2-3 drops of oil (or fat at 40 C) was placed at the centre of the main prism. 3. The secondary prism was closed with caution.

4. The measurement knob was turned slowly until the boundary line can observed until the view changes from dark to light while looking through the eyepiece. This degree of lightness changed using high-low switch on the thermometer box. 5. The colour compensator knob was turned to remove the colour boundary line. 6. The measurement knob was turned again to coincide the boundary line with the crossed line. 7. The RI was recorded after the top scale shows the RI ; the bottom scale shows the brix reading.

QUESTION 1. What are the differences between fat and oil? Fats differ from oils only in that they are solid at room temperature, while oils are liquid.

2. Why different fats have different melting point? Because have different chain and molecular locations for a Hydrogen bond filled. As the length of the fatty acid chain lengthens the melting point of the fat increases.

3. Which sample has highest refractive index? Why? Cooking oil has a highest refractive Index because the more optically dense a material is, the slower that a wave will move through the material. A medium with a low optical density, would have also a low refractive index.

4. Which sample has higher specific gravity? Why? Corn oil has higher specific gravity because

REFERNCES 1. http://coasun.com/2009/05/03/what-is-the-difference-between-a-fat-and-an-oil/ 2. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS' SOCIETY. Melting-point determination of fat products. J. M. Deman, L. Deman and B. Blackman. 3. http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/pdf/fats&oils.pdf 4. http://www.healingmatters.com/fats.htm 5. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-gravity-liquids-d_336.html 6. http://www.astm.org/Standards/D5355.htm 7. http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-differencebetween-butter-and-margarine.html#b

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