Question

Mary's pet dog Fido raided the trash can and now has an upset stomach, possibly due to his severe food allergies to certain carbohydrates often found in many restaurant meals. Mary doesn't know which restaurant leftovers Fido ate. Of course, Fido could simply be suffering from a doggie stomach virus. Unfortunately, the cause must be determined SOON or Fido may suffer deadly effects due to his food allergies. Dr Annisley, the veterinarian, has collected a sample of his stomach's contents and sent it to you for analysis in order to determine if Fido's food allergies may be an issue. Lugol's Iodine; black | Benedict's solution + heat; orange | Solubility test; doesn't separate in water | Biuret Reagent; dark blue | Analyze the above chart and determine whether or not Fido is suffering from his trash can treat. Provide supporting evidence from the data to support your findings.

Answer 1

The chemical tests suggest the presence of simple sugars in Fido's stomach, which, considering his carbohydrate allergies, likely indicates that his upset stomach is related to his food allergies rather than a stomach virus.

Step-by-step explanation:

We can analyze whether or not Fido is suffering from eating something from the trash that he is allergic to by looking at the results of the various chemical tests that were applied to the stomach contents.

The Lugol's Iodine test turning black usually indicates the presence of starches. However, carbohydrates might manifest in different types of sugars which are not always readily indicated by this test.

The Benedict's solution test turns orange in the presence of reducing sugars after being heated; this suggests that simple, possibly allergenic sugars are present in the stomach content.

A negative result in the Solubility test, where the substance doesn't separate in water, tends to indicate that the material could possibly be a complex carbohydrate or protein that is not easily soluble. Finally, the Biuret Reagent test turning dark blue indicates the presence of proteins, which suggests that proteins were in whatever Fido ate.

Considering Fido's severe food allergies to certain carbohydrates and the presence of simple sugars confirmed by the Benedict's solution test, it is likely that Fido's upset stomach may be related to his food allergies rather than a stomach virus. Given these results, Dr. Annisley can be informed that carbohydrates that Fido is potentially allergic to have been detected.