Photo by V. Miller
June 30, 2004
Nuts and the Dark Side of Oxygen
Nuts and the Dark Side of Oxygen
Zachary Hopkins, 14, Highlands, Utah
Ryker Watts, 14, Alpine, Utah
Finalists, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2003
Project background: Zach and Ryker began researching antioxidants after Zach's father pointed out that it was a major topic of current medical research. After reading more, they learned that oxidation has been linked to aging and many diseases such as cancer and heart disease. They further discovered that nuts have been studied as an antioxidant source, but that not much was known about how different nuts compare with each other and how preparation methods affect their antioxidant activity. After considering the matter, Zach and Ryker hypothesized that nuts will prevent oxidation of flaxseed oil and that this effect will vary according to the type of nut and the roasting time.
Tactics and results: After obtaining raw peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and pecans, Ryker and Zach baked groups of the peanuts and almonds at 350°F for time periods of 0, 5, 10, and 20 minutes. The walnuts and pecans were not roasted. To measure the antioxidant activity, they blended each nut sample with isopropyl alcohol, filtered the alcohol, and added a small amount to a test tube containing an aqueous copper solution and a small amount of flaxseed oil. They also created six control test tubes. After an overnight incubation, conjugated dienes were measured using a spectrophotometer.
Zach and Ryker's results showed that all nuts, except pecans, significantly prevented the oxidation of the flaxseed oil. Roasting for up to 10 minutes appeared to increase the antioxidant activity of the almonds and peanuts, but 20 minutes of roasting abolished the antioxidant effect.
Zach and Ryker concluded that the nuts tested, except pecans, did have a potent antioxidant effect and that the health benefits of nuts may be affected by processing methods.
Read the latest science fair news
Get a science fair tip
Browse a list of science fair topics
Talk Back:
Do you have any comments about this ScienceFairZone? Send them
to us using the form below.
|
SNK RSS Feed 
