How To Teach Science During Dessert… With Strawberries
Last week, we took a brief look at the science of ice cream. And why should we limit ourselves to this creamy dessert when we can add so many different toppings? I know that everyone has their own favorites – peanuts, chocolate, sprinkles, anchovies, etc.
By far, my favorite topping on ice cream HAS to be an all-time favorite…
THE STRAWBERRY
Strawberries were a favorite dessert in my family. I remember my grandmother serving me a bowl of this amazing fruit and it was always found in bowl of its own sweet juices. I never even questioned HOW she could create all that juice from just a handful of berries.
I figured out this “secret” after watching her prepare this treat…
SHE SPRINKLED SUGAR OVER THE FRESHLY CUT BERRIES!
There is a lot of science behind this seemingly simple recipe and ALL of it follows the four main concepts of science very well:
We already know that all of that juice that rests at the bottom of your sugared berries doesn’t come from nowhere, right? It HAS to follow the LAW OF CONSERVATION which states that ATOMS cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged.
THIS MEANS THE JUICE MUST COME FROM INSIDE THE STRAWBERRIES!
The movement of juice from inside the berry into the bowl is due to DIFFUSION. You see, sugar begins to dissolve in the small amounts of water found on the surface of the berries.
Scientists call the molecules that dissolve in a fluid a SOLUTE. The fluid itself is called a SOLVENT. And, when a solute is dissolved into a solvent, a SOLUTION is formed.
Okay, back to the story…
Scientists would say that a sugar solution is formed on the surface of the berry. This is very important to the DIFFUSION of juices.
The entire purpose of DIFFUSION is to spread out a group of ATOMS evenly. But if you have more molecules of water INSIDE the strawberry than on its surface, the water molecules start to DIFFUSE through its surface and towards the OUTSIDE of the strawberry.
Scientists call this process OSMOSIS (“oz-moh-sis”) which is the movement of ATOMS through a membrane in which an equal DENSITY of solute are eventually found on BOTH sides.
The result of this DIFFUSION is a very sweet juice in the bottom of the bowl. The longer you let the strawberries sit in the sugar solution, the more water will move into the bowl, and the more shriveled up the berries will look.
My grandmother may have never known about the four basic concepts of science, but she certainly knew how to put together an amazing dessert! Thanks Grandma!
Learn more about chemistry concepts (and many more) in the Classic Science: Series for the Family and be certain to come back every Thursday or subscribe to The Blog of Mr.Q to learn more about how to teach science during breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
