. This experiment separates meat into an acetone-soluble part and an acetone-insoluble part. The calculations are based on the principal components of meat being fat (acetone soluble) and protein (acetone insoluble or fat-free meat in report sheet). More realistically, the principal components of meat are fat, protein, and water. Water is acetone soluble. Based on this information, the calculations correctly calculate what quantity, % fat or % fat-free meat? Is the incorrectly calculated quantity over or under estimated?
4. What affect would each of the following changes in procedure have had on the calculated percentage of fat found for your meat product?
a) The acetone-washed meat in the thimble was not completely dried before weighing.
b) The amount of acetone in the flask was increased from 50ml to 75ml, at the start of the extraction process.
c) The fresh meat was thoroughly dried, before starting the experiment
Materials and Equipment
Water Inlet Water Outlet
Extraction Thimble Cooling Cell
Flask Siphon Cup
Procedure
Obtain a Whiley extractor unit (see Figure next page) from the stockroom and a sample of bologna, salami hamburger or frankfurter meat from your instructor. Note the brand name and the price per pound of your meat sample.
Weigh a fresh paper extraction thimble in an aluminum dish, in the analytical balance. Record this weight on you report sheet. Weigh and record the aluminum dish alone.
Shred a thumb-size piece of meat by means of a knife or spatula, and introduce the pieces into the extraction thimble. Reweigh thimble + contents in the aluminum dish. Fill the extraction thimble to within ¼” of the top.
Now pour 50 ml of acetone into the ehrlenmeyer flask (which forms part of the Whiley extractor). Put the filled thimble into the glass siphon-cup and hang it, by means of the attached wire, from the cooling coil of the extractor (see diagram on the next page) over the flask with the cooling unit with siphon-cup so that the projecting siphon-tube hangs above the surface of the acetone. Attach one of the connecting rubber hoses to a cold-water tap, and have the other empty into the drain trough. (It is advisable to extend the exit hose with a piece of glass tubing). Now, stand the assembled extractor on a hot plate, topped with a wire mesh, and set the dial for MEDIUM before heating. Be careful that none of the rubber hoses touch the hot plate, and that there are no open flames in the vicinity of the apparatus.
Let the contents of the extractor percolate for at least 15 minutes after the first drop of the condensed acetone drips from the cooling coil (A thirty-minute extraction period is recommended.
Turn off the hot plate and remove the apparatus to the desktop. When the flask is comfortably cool to the touch, turn off the circulating water, detach the siphon cup, and remove the extraction thimble by means of a tweezers. Transfer the thimble and contents to the previously-used aluminum dish.
Place the dish + contents into a drying oven at 60oC and allow to dry for 20 minutes. After this time, check to see if any moisture is visible on the inside or outside of the dish. If dry, remove to the open air and carefully smell it. Should a pronounced odor of acetone persist, continue the drying for a longer period. Then, allow the dish to cool, and reweigh it with its contents on the analytical balance.
for ground beef i got 62.5% of fat and 11.44 (cost/pound of fat free meat)
for frank i got 46. 2% 11.13(cost/pound of fat free meat)
for salami 73.5 % 61.38 (cost/pound of fat free meat)
for balaoni 22.58% 12.89 cost
a) If the acetone-washed meat in the thimble was not completely dried before weighing, it would result in an overestimation of the calculated percentage of fat found in the meat product. This is because any residual acetone remaining on the meat would contribute to the weight measurement, leading to a higher fat content calculation.
b) If the amount of acetone in the flask was increased from 50ml to 75ml at the start of the extraction process, it would have no effect on the calculated percentage of fat found in the meat product. This is because the proportion of fat to acetone remains the same, and the volume of acetone used does not affect the fat content calculation.
c) If the fresh meat was thoroughly dried before starting the experiment, it would result in an underestimation of the calculated percentage of fat found in the meat product. This is because drying the meat would remove the water content, which is considered in the calculation as acetone-soluble (water being the principal component in meat). Without accounting for the water content, the calculated fat percentage would be lower than the actual fat content.
To properly answer these questions, we need to understand the experiment and its calculations.
The experiment involves separating meat into two parts using acetone, which is a solvent. One part is soluble in acetone and the other part is insoluble. The calculations are based on the assumption that the principal components of meat are fat (soluble in acetone) and protein (insoluble in acetone or fat-free meat in the report sheet).
However, in reality, the principal components of meat are fat, protein, and water. Water, unlike protein, is soluble in acetone. This means that the calculations are not accounting for the water content in the separation process.
Now, let's address each question:
a) If the acetone-washed meat in the thimble was not completely dried before weighing, it would result in an overestimation of the calculated percentage of fat. This is because the remaining water in the thimble would add to the weight of the acetone-soluble portion, leading to a higher measurement.
b) If the amount of acetone in the flask was increased from 50ml to 75ml at the start of the extraction process, it would not affect the calculated percentage of fat. The amount of solvent used does not directly impact the proportion of fat in the separated portions.
c) If the fresh meat was thoroughly dried before starting the experiment, it would result in an underestimation of the calculated percentage of fat. This is because drying the meat removes some of the water content, and thus less weight would be attributed to the acetone-soluble portion, leading to a lower measurement.
In summary, not drying the acetone-washed meat properly would overestimate the percentage of fat, increasing the amount calculated. Increasing the amount of acetone or thoroughly drying the fresh meat would not affect the calculated percentage of fat significantly, although the latter would likely underestimate the fat content due to weight loss from water evaporation.