6 Biomolecules

The three major macromolecules that make up a bulk of our foods are carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Carbohydrates and proteins often consist of many smaller structural units, called monomers, linked together into long chains, called polymers. Before investigating the presence of these macromolecules in food, it is important to first perform what is called a positive control and negative control standards test for each macromolecule. Your positive control samples will contain the macromolecules glucose, starch, egg white protein, and vegetable oil. These samples will provide you with a reference for identifying each of the representative macromolecules in your food samples. Your negative control will be distilled water, which should provide results for the absence of the macromolecule in your food sample.