000			01985nam a2200133 4500
008			250624b |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aRakshitha Madamakki
245			_aFoam index as a surrogate measure of protein content: an exploratory and inexpensive laboratory-free tool for students
300			_aP 495-504
520			_aAn easily executable method to track nutritive potential of raw food grains at home is described here. Blanching the soaked grains with the boiled supernatant aided the release of protein into the supernatant which in-turn correlated with the protein content of the grains analysed in this study. When agitated, the supernatant generated stable froth, measured as foam index (FI). When compared with standard protein estimation methodologies (ultra-violet absorption and Folin–Lowry), both the percentage volume of the water absorbed (VA) and FI emerged as potential quantitative parameters. Correlation analyses using multiple grains of varying protein content indicated that VA and FI could serve as laboratory-free surrogate measures of protein content, and therefore a reflection of their nutritional value. To eliminate the possibility of surfactant-mediated foam, an ink-based ‘dye diffusion test’ was developed, wherein the dye was significantly retarded by protein foam. The simplicity of these assays were tested as a part of learning modules, successfully executed even by school students (12–15 years old). Qualitatively, it engaged them in more authentic scientific inquiry in a way that was meaningfully associated with their daily lives. We propose that this technique creates opportunities for participation in citizen science, and can help address questions about cultivar growth in different climatic conditions when analysed temporally in a large networked format.
654			_aFroth, grains _aprotein estimation _ahome lab _a nutrition
773	0		_0125299 _9112522 _tCurrent Science _x 0011-3891
942			_cJA
999			_c131824 _d131824