Food science is the study of making food delicious and safe to eat. When we understand the science behind food, we can make smart choices about what to eat and how to cook food.

In this experiment you will examine the effects of heat and acid on the protein casein in milk. The process produced a substance that was sticky like a glue.

In this captivating chemistry experiment, we'll explore how heat and acid affect milk protein casein. By heating up milk and adding vinegar, the casein separates, creating a moldable plastic-like substance. Try this hands-on experiment to witness milk transform in an unexpected way!

Milk Glue

High school

Objectives:

The objectives of this intermediate lab are to practice filtration and observe a 
precipitation reaction and a neutralization reaction. 

Materials:


1. Skim milk, 125 mL
2. Beaker, 250 mL
3. Vinegar (acetic acid), 25 mL 
4. heat source 
5. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), 1g
6. Funnel and filter paper
7. stirring rod
8. water, 30 mL
9. Graduated cylinder, 125 mL

Strategy:

 1. Place 125 mL of skim milk in a 250 mL beaker.
 2. Add 25 mL of vinegar, which is an acidic solution.
 3. Gently heat milk and stir constantly until small lumps begin to form.
 4. Remove beaker from heat and continue to stir until no more lumps form.
 5. Allow lumps to settle.
 6. Filter the solid (curds) from the liquid (whey) using funnel.
 7. Gently press the filter paper around the curds to squeeze out the excess 
    liquid through the filter paper.
 8. Return the solid to the beaker
 9. Add 30 mL of water to the solid and stir
10. Add 1/2 tsp. of baking soda to neutralize vinegar, bubbles should appear.  
    Add a little more baking soda until no more bubbles appear.
11. The substance in the beaker is glue.  Test the adhesive properties, 
    including waterproof property.


Questions and answers.
1. What is the purpose of the vinegar in making glue?  What is the purpose of 
   the heat?   The vinegar and the heat act to change the protein molecules so 
   they will precipitate. 
2. How is the casein (protein) separated from the milk?  The casein coagulates 
   and then is separated by filtration. 
3. What is the purpose of the baking soda?  The baking soda neutralizes the 
   acid. 

Conclusions:       
   
The experiment examined the effects of heat and acid on the protein casein in milk.  
The process produced a substance that was sticky like a glue.  Milk is 87% 
water, 4.8% carbohydrate, 4% fat, 3.5 % protein, and 0.7% minerals.  The 
carbohydrate is mostly the dissaccharide sugar, lactose.  The fat is in the form 
of globules that reflect light and give milk some of its whiteness.  Some 
vitamins are dissolved in the fat.  The proteins are complete, meaning they have 
all essential amino acids.  The most abundant protein is casein.  The 
precipitation takes place when the milk becomes acidic, near pH 4.6. 

 

Make Plastic From Milk

What is the effect of heat and acids on milk proteins?

Are you curious to see if milk can actually fix a broken plate? And that's not all, did you know that you can even make a plate or cup out of plastic milk? Let's watch this video and discover if it's possible to drink milk out of a cup made entirely out of milk!

Making LEGO figures out of milk might sound unbelievable, but the science behind Plastic Milk makes it possible! In this exciting video, you'll learn how to turn regular milk into plastic and how you can shape it into fun shapes like LEGO figures and dinosaurs. Imagine being able to create a whole set of fun figures using just milk and a few simple ingredients. 

Have you ever run out of glue in the middle of a project and didn't know what to do? Well, don't worry! You can make your own glue with milk using a variation of the plastic milk experiment. Check out this video to see how it's done!

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Chemistry is the study of matter, which is everything around us! Chemists learn about what things are made of, how they react with each other, and how we can use them to improve our lives, such as in food science, technology and reducing environmental pollution.

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Make Plastic From Milk

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