Practical Review Biology Practical - Food tests - Grade 4 to 7+

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Gloria

A practical review biology booklet that guides learners through food testing to identify biological macromolecules. It covers reagent selection and expected positive versus negative outcomes for starch, reducing sugars (glucose), lipids, and proteins. Tasks are structured for different grade bands: straightforward reagent use up to grade 4, summarising qualitative results for grades 5–7, and comparing qualitative with quantitative data for grade 7+ including pros, cons, and an evidence-based opinion. Includes summary tables and a milk-testing prompt.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Review it

Reagent use by grade band

Test it

Summary table tasks

| Required Practical Review Biology Practical – Food tests | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Free science lessons video link: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbZxFxXN6m4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbZxFxXN6m4)[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbZxFxXN6m4)GCSEpod: [https://members.gcsepod.com/shared/podcasts/title/11590](https://members.gcsepod.com/shared/podcasts/title/11590) | | | Know it If we want to look at what’s in our food, we just have to look at the label. However, some foods don’t always have labels. How can we find out what’s in our food? In order to check what macromolecules are in our foods, we can use a variety of food tests to inform us. Review it Complete the tasks below into your book. Up to grade 4 State reagent (solution) use to test for the biological molecules below • Test for starch • Test for reducing sugars (glucose) • Test for lipids • Test for proteins Grade 5-7 Use the ‘know it’ information to summarise the four different food tests and the results if the test is positive or negative. Be clear what will you see for a positive and negative result. • Test for starch • Test for reducing sugars (glucose) • Test for lipids • Test for proteins Grade 7+ Compare qualitative and quantitative data. Give the pros and cons for each, and give me an opinion on which one is better and why. Test it Complete the tasks below into your book. Q1 – easier Complete the summary table | Type of molecule tested | Reagent used | Positive result | Negative result | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Protein | | | Blue solution | | | Sudan III | Red layer on top of solution | Dark red solution evenly distributed | | Starch | | | Orange solution | Q2 – harder Describe how a student could test cow’s milk to show whether it contains protein and different types of carbohydrate (6) . Mark it Q1 | Type of molecule tested | Reagent used | Positive result
(the molecule is present) | Negative result
(the molecule is not present) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Protein | Biuret’s | Lilac (purple) | Blue solution | | Lipids (fats) | Sudan III | Red layer on top of solution | Dark red solution evenly distributed | | Starch | Iodine | Black/ dark blue | Orange solution | Q2

FAQs

What food tests are included for identifying macromolecules?

The booklet includes tests for starch, reducing sugars (glucose), lipids, and proteins.

What are the expected positive and negative results for protein and starch in the table?

Protein shows a positive result as a lilac (purple) color and a negative result as a blue solution. Starch shows a positive result as a black/dark blue color with iodine and a negative result as orange solution.

How should students approach the grade 7+ comparison of qualitative and quantitative data?

Students compare what qualitative versus quantitative results show, list pros and cons for each, and give an opinion on which approach is better with reasons.

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Gloria