Candy Electrophoresis Lab

1.)There were no colors that did not match the reference bands
2.)Fast Green FCR and Red 40 are most likely to move like the colors we saw in the lab because they have a similar chemical structure to the reference dyes.
3.) Dog food companies put artificial colors in dog food to make it look more appealing. Humans are more likely to buy dog food that looks nice and that has bold colors. They think that this food will be better for their dogs. This is ironic, because many artificial colors have unknown side affects on dogs and humans.
4.) Most Commonly Used Food Colors with Natural Alternatives

FD&C Dye	Color	Natural Alternative	Source for Natural Alternative
Blue 1	Blue	Spirulina Extract	Cyanobacteria
Blue 2	Blue	blueberry juice	blueberries
Green 3	Green	Spinach juice	Spinach
Red 3	Red	Beet Juice	Beets
Red 40	Red	Purple Sweet Potato juice	Purple Sweet Potato
Yellow 5	Yellow	turmeric	turmeric
Yellow 6	Yellow	paprika	paprika
Citrus Red 2	Orange	Beta-Carotene	Carrots

Artificial colors are used rather than natural alternatives because they are cheaper and easier to obtain.
5.) The 2 factors that control the distance that the colored dye travels are the size of the DNA in the dye and
6.) The fact that DNA is charged negatively propels it. When electricity is turned on, DNA will go towards the positive side.
7.) The fact that the longer the DNA is, the slower it moves, separates DNA by size.
8.) If DNA with a weight of 600, 1000, 2000, and 5000 daltons were put into a gel electrophoresis, I would expect that the 600 would travel furthest, with 100 not to far behind. 2000 would be further back, and 5000 would be in last.

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