The Effect of Temperature on the Cell Membrane of Beetroot Cells :- ( LAB REPORT )

Aim: To investigate whether temperature will damage and denature the plasma cell surface membrane of beetroot cells.

Introduction: The purpose of a cell membrane is to control the transport of substances moving into and out of a cell. The membrane is an extremely thin layer (8 to 10 manometers (nm)) thick, which is partially permeable. It consists mostly of lipids and proteins. The lipids found in cell membranes belong to a class known as triglycerides, so called because they have one molecule of glycerol chemically linked to three molecules of fatty acids. In the cells of a beetroot plant, a substance called anthocyanin is contained within the plasma membrane. It is anthocyanin, which gives the beetroot its characteristic blue/purple colour. If a cell is damaged in a beetroot plant and the membrane is broken, the anthocyanin 'bleeds' from the cells...

Requirements: Beetroot, thermometer, cork borer, white tile, scalpel, 2 x 250ml beakers, glass-marking pen, graduated pipette (10ml), 3 x test tubes and rack, mounted needle, stopwatch, Bunsen burner, tripod and gauze, colorimeter with blue filter, Ruler, blade, cuvette

Procedure: 

1. Using the cork borer cut 3 or 4 cylinders from your beetroots. Place these cylinders on the tile and use a scalpel to cut them into discs about 3 mm thick. You will need 12 discs
2. Put the discs in beaker and wash them for at least 5 minutes.
3. Label the 2 test tube, each with 40 or 70 using the graduated pipette place 10ml tab water in each one.
4. When the beetroot discs have been washed, put 6 of them on a mounted needle with a space between the discs.
5. Heat the water bath to 40⁰ C impale 6 discs, give them a water bath for exactly a minute and then put it in the labelled 40.
6. Repeat the procedure for temperature 70⁰C and leave it for 20 minutes
7. Fill a clean cuvette with tap water these will be blank.
8. Select the blue filter on the colorimeter, and use the blank to zero the colorimeter.
9. Shake the test tube of pigment and put in in cuvette and then take the reading from the colorimeter.

Observation:

The Colorimeter Readings are:

Temperature	Colorimeter Readings
40o C	0.25
70oC	1.42