Question

A food manufacturer is advertising a new cake mix as fat free. Scientists at the FDA are testing the product to see if it truly lacks fat. Hydrolysis of the cake mix yields glucose, fructose, glycerol, a number of amino acids, and several kinds of molecules with long hydrocarbon chains. Further analysis shows that most of the hydrocarbon chains have a carboxyl group at one end. What would you tell the food manufacturer if you were the spokesperson for the FDA. Justify your reasoning.

Answer 1

Answer: You should first look for an amino group at the other end of the chains that contain the carboxylic group. If there are amino groups, then the carbon chains are proteins. If there aren't, then the chains are fatty acids, and the manufacturer's lining to the customers.