Beta Vulgaris, or most commonly known as beet roots, contains a red pigment called Betacyanin. This pigment controls the permeability of light into the cell membrane and is directly affected by the temperature applied to the beet root. Through the examination of the absorbance of light by use of a spectrophotometer, we were able to determine peak absorbance occurred at the most drastic temperature changes. Beet roots in solutions of 0-55°C showed minimal light absorption while the two extremes, -20°C and 70°C, showed the highest rates of absorption. These results can be used to come to the conclusion that Betacyanin is at its largest concentration when beet cells are exposed to damaging variables such as the extreme hot and cold solutions.
Introduction
The purpose of this lab is to determine how varying temperatures can affect the absorption of light by Betacyanin, a pigment found in the large central vacuole of the cell. These vacuoles are surrounded by a membrane called the tonoplast and are located in the cytosol of the cell. The cell itself is surrounded by another Membrane, the plasma membrane (Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences 2018). Betacyanin remains within the cell as long as both the tonoplast And plasma membranes remain intact, however if damaged it will leak out into Its environment. This damage can come from many different sources but in this Experiment we will specifically be looking at the damage different temperatures Of water can inflict upon the membranes of a cell. I believe higher temperatures will produce the largest amount of Betacyanin released to the the protein Breaking nature of high temperatures.
METHODS
The initial step of this lab is to determine the peak absorbance level of Betacyanin. This is done by repeating the wavelength test of a Spectrophotometer on a sample of stock betacyanin solution until the highest Absorbance value is found. In my experiment it happened to be 550nm. The next step is the preparation of beet samples. A beet core must be extracted As to retrieve the freshest sample possible. The ends should be cut off and the Rest be slices into 5mm discs using a razor. A total of 6 slices should be Acquired and rinsed in cold tap water for 10 minutes. 6 varying temperatures of water should also be prepared and ready to go for the experiment. These temperatures are -20°C, 0°C -4°C, 20°C, 40°C, 55°C, and 70°C. One of the beet Discs should be frozen prior to continuing with the experiment and placed in the -20°C water immediately. Place all other beet root samples into the appropriate temperatures and record the time they were placed into the beakers. All beakers should be given a 15 minute sit time with each beaker vortexed on a 5 minute interval. Once the 15 minutes have completed, vortex each sample once more before extracting it and making note of the time extracted. Transfer 3 mL of each sample solution into a cuvette and acquire the absorbance of each. Once absorbance is acquired, these values will be used to determine a linear regression And coefficient of determination. These will be used to acquire the concentration of Betacyanin.
RESULTS
Using the data acquired from the experiment, we can determine that the absorbance of light is directly affected by the concentration of betacyanin present in the solution. The amount of betacyanin released can directly be linked to the varying temperature the beet cell was exposed to. The line graph shown in figure 1 accurately displays the relationship between the concentration of betacyanin and absorbance of light. In figure 2, the graph exhibits the relationship between temperature and the concentration of betacyanin in the solution are directly related. As the temperature increases or decreases drastically the concentration increases in relation.