Information about Banana Data
Data Analysis
Data for you to analyze for your banana experiment is found in the posted excel file. You are to use the consolidated data for your lab period. Files will be identified by rooms and the day the experiment was performed. If you use the wrong data set you will be assessed a 10% penalty.
The excel spreadsheet has two tabs (found at the bottom). One tab is for the specific ripeness data (unripe, ripe or overripe) and the second tab is for the four different storage conditions. For each sample you will find the mass of that sample, the total volume of supernatant that was collected for it and its absorbance value. For the samples of “specific ripeness” you will also have a column for the mass of the starch.
For every sample you are required to calculate the average reducing sugar content as a percentage of the original wet weight of the sample. In order to do this you must first prepare a calibration curve for the reaction between a reducing sugar (e.g. glucose) and the DNS reagent. You recorded the data for your calibration curve on page 95 (2360 students) or page 91 (2770 students) of your lab manual. Based upon this calibration curve you can calculate the concentration of reducing sugar in the supernatants for every sample, and from the concentration of reducing sugar, you can then calculate the total mass of reducing sugar present in the supernatant (be mindful of dilutions). You can then use this mass to determine its percentage of the original wet weight of the particular sample. These calculations must be performed for every sample, but remember you are only required to report the average value for any particular condition (specific ripeness or storage method).
It is strongly recommended that you learn to use the basic calculator capabilities of excel to analyze your data—it will save you a great deal of time.