Martinez 1

Torii Martinez
Mrs. Campbell
Acc. Biology B
22 March 2014
Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab Report
Introduction:
In this lab my group and I are testing what DNA looks like. We used strawberries because, there
would be a larger abundance of DNA because they have 8 copies of each chromosome. I think DNA looks
goopy because in a video a few days prior to our lab, it was in a video in class and I assumed all DNA has
the same texture (before the video I would have hypothesized that it looked liquidy). If we break the cell
membrane and group together the strawberrys DNA molecules, we will be able to see the DNA.
Methods:
Materials:

For this lab we needed;

a Ziploc bag

Cheesecloth

1 strawberry

a funnel

a graduated cylinder

a 50 mL test tube

10 mL extraction buffer (soap

a wooden stick (we used a

and salt)

plastic one).

10 mL of ice cold ethanol (we

used rubbing alcohol)

Procedure:

In the procedure, we mashed up a strawberry and dissolved the cell

membranes with the extraction buffer. Using the cheesecloth and funnel as a filter, we poured
the mushed strawberry through it to prevent chunks from getting into the test tube. The
ethanol was used to attract the DNA to a more precise area of the solution. We then extracted
the DNA from the solution with the plastic stick.

Step 1- Gather all materials except ethanol, which needs to be kept cold until

needed. (Cold

ethanol keeps the DNA more firm)

Step 2- Cut off the strawberry leaves and stem. Put the strawberry in the plastic bag and seal it
with no air inside.

Step 3-Carefully smash up the strawberry.

Martinez 2
Step 4- Add 10 mL of extraction buffer to the bag and seal it the same way. Mix/ mush the
buffer in with the strawberry. (This is used to dissolve the cell membranes)

Step 5- Assemble filter with cheesecloth inside funnel dripping into the test tube. Pour the
strawberry solution through the filter.

Step 6- When the test tube is about 1/3 of the way full; pour 10 mL of ethanol into the test tube.
Make sure not to mix the ethanol with the strawberry buffer solution. The ethanol is used to
attract the DNA molecules to the top of the solution.

Step 7- Use wooden or plastic stick to extract DNA out of the solution by slowly and carefully
moving the tip of the stick around the test tube where the strawberry solution and ethanol
meet. Slowly pull out stick and the DNA will look goopy and on the end of the stick.

Results:
Our lab resulted in the extraction of DNA from a strawberry. The DNA looked clear and goopy.
We were able to see the DNA because there were so many DNA molecules grouped together, that we
could see it.

Conclusions:
My hypothesis of DNA having a goopy look was correct. I identify it as correct because what the
DNA turned out to look like was very similar to what I was picturing it to be. Because this lab, I learned
everything has DNA; whether it be itself or what it originated from. This would help be in the real world
if I ever wonder where by food came from or how it was made if I look into its DNA. Things I could have
done better in the lab was take better safety precautions because if I do that in the future it could have
a bad outcome. Also, it would have helped my conclusion is I performed the last step better because I
didnt gather very much DNA. If there were more, then I would have a more solid conclusion of what is
looked like.