This is a text-based activity introducing students to diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus
Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus
Glucose in the urine is an indication of diabetes mellitus. For this lesson, students test artificial urine samples for the condition…
Controlling the level of glucose in the blood
In the text-based activity, students look at the levels of glucose and insulin in the blood after a meal.
Diabetes mellitus: a case history
This text-based activity describes a person who is experiencing some unusual, early symptoms of diabetes.
They visit their doctor who refers them to hospital where the condition is diagnosed. Questions reinforce the students’ understanding of the condition and its diagnosis.
Sweeter than sugar
In this lesson, students look at artificial sweeteners in carbonated drinks. This is done by comparing the density of normal and diet drinks. Artificial sweeteners in diet drinks are much more potent than glucose, and so much less needs to be added.
Foods for diabetics
In this lesson, students are given basic information on the dietary requirements of a person with diabetes.
They will then do further independent research before producing a booklet for a diabetic person of their own age, detailing diet, menus and recipes.
Methods of preservation
This paper-based revision activity asks students to summarise all the different methods of food preservation and how they work.
Food preservation
Students investigate the effects of a range of preservatives on the storage of peas. Preservatives tested include salt, vinegar, sugar, sodium nitrite and sulphur dioxide solution.
Conditions necessary for the growth of microbes
Food spoilage is often caused by microbial growth. During this lesson, students will investigate the conditions necessary for the growth of microbes in rice.
An introduction to pectin
In this paper-based activity, students are introduced to the polysaccharides known as pectins, their extraction from fruits and purification for use.
Jamming session
Making jam is a traditional method of preserving fruit.
Students investigate the best conditions to form a gel using liquid pectin.
Conditions investigated include the amount of pectin, amount of sugar, heating time and temperature.
What’s in a flavour?
Students make vanilla-flavoured drinks and set up a tasting panel to judge which drink is the best in terms of taste, colour, smell – and cost!
The function of emulsifiers and stabilisers
Stabilisers and emulsifiers are used in foods such as salad dressings, processed cheese, preserve, margarine and yogurt.
Students carry out an investigation to look at the properties and effects of an emulsifier on a mixture of oil and water.
Making salad dressing
Emulsifiers and stabilisers help to keep foods that contain oil and water mixed, with a regular consistency.
Students research the ingredients for a coleslaw salad and compare them with the ingredients for a salad dressing.
Using this information, students are challenged to develop a recipe for an original coleslaw salad.
Chromatography
Students produce a chromatogram using the colour extracted from jelly babies in the practical experiment C2. This shows that food colours are often mixtures containing several different pigments.
How do you colour a jelly baby?
The manufacturers of jelly babies add colours to the sweets. In this investigation, students remove the colours from different jelly babies and use it to dye a piece of wool.
Looks good enough to eat
Food colourings are often added to make food look attractive and enhance its appeal. Students look at a range of food colourings and colours found in foods, such as beetroot and cabbage. The effects of pH on these coloured compounds are investigated.
Fats
Many foods contain fats and unsaturated fats are prone to oxidation. If this happens, they can produce unpleasant and harmful substances which make the food go rancid.
In this paper-based exercise, students look at the structure of fats and the composition of saturated and unsaturated fats in different foods.
Oxygen: friend or foe?
Oxygen is essential for life but oxidation reactions are not always useful. Oxidations in food can cause it to deteriorate. Antioxidants are added to prevent this. Here, students investigate the enzyme-catalysed oxidation that causes cut apples to go brown.
Food ingredients card games
A fun selection of card games to test students’ knowledge of different foods and their ingredients