What type of vegetables or fruits contain the highest amount of

catalase?

Its is known that the fruit and vegetables with the highest fat content
are the ones that contain the most amount of catalase, therefore this
test will provide data to support or contradict this fact.

VARIABLES
Dependent -Volume of oxygen foam released
Variables
Independent -The type of vegetables and fruits used
Variables
Controlled -Amount of hydrogen peroxide used
-Concentration of hydrogen peroxide used.
Variables
-Weight of sample of the fruit or vegetable used.
-Time given to allow the reaction to occur.

Uncontrolled -Oxidation speed of the fruit or vegetable used.

-Room temperature.
Variables
-Surface area of the sample used.

Apparatus

900ml of 10% concentrated hydrogen peroxide.

1 raw carrot
1 whole raw broccoli
1 whole green raw bell pepper
1 whole raw avocado
1 raw onion
1 raw cabbage
1 chronometer to measure in seconds
1 100ml measuring cylinder
1 250ml measuring cylinder
1 0.01g bascule
1 knife
1 scapel
*For safety use goggles due to use of hydrogen peroxide, knifes and
scapels.

Method:

1. Measure 25cm 3 of hydrogen peroxide in the 100ml measuring

cylinder
2. Peel the carrot
3. Cut the carrot in order to gave a sample of 5g
4. Weigh the sample in order to assure that it weighs 5g
5. Put the sample into the 100ml measuring cylinder containing
25cm3 of hydrogen peroxide
6. Mark the total volume of the sample with the hydrogen peroxide
7. Start the chronometer
8. Wait 40 seconds
9. After the 40 seconds have transpired, mark the total volume of
the hydrogen peroxide with the sample and the foam produced
10. Measure and record the difference between the first mark and
the second one, which will give the total amount of foam.
11. Repeat the whole procedure 5 times.

Fruit or Volume of oxygen foam produced

vegetable 0.1cm3
used
Carrot 7 6 5 5 5 5 Averag
e: 5.17
Bell Pepper 25 21 18 17 14 12 Averag
e: 17.8
Avocado 50 40 40 35 31 28 Averag
e: 37.3
Broccoli 6 6 5 5 5 5 Averag
e:5.33
nion 0 0 0 0 0 0 Averag
e: 0
Cabbage 2 2 3 3 3 3 Averag
e: 2.66
12. Repeat the whole method using the other types of fruits and
vegetables*

*Note: make sure that the sample comes from the meat of the
vegetable or fruit used, without skin. Exception will be made with
onion and cabbage when removing the skin. When using broccoli, only
use the trunk, do not use the the bush.

DATA COLLECTION

Table 1:

Vegetabl Mean Media Mode/ Rate/ Standard Range

e or fruit / cm3 n/ cm3 cm3 cm3 Deviatio
per n
secon
d
Carrot 5.17 5 5 .129 0.837 2
Bell 17.8 17 none .445 4.71 13
Pepper
Avocado 37.3 35 40 .933 7.84 32
Broccoli 5.33 5 5 .133 0.516 1
Onion 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cabbage 2.66 3 3 .067 0.516 1
Table 2

Graph:

Conclusion: As shown in the graph, there is a significant difference

between the reaction of the carrot and the reaction of the avocado
when mixed with hydrogen peroxide since the carrot average increase
was 5.17 cm3 and the avocado was 37.3 cm3, therefore the avocado is
the vegetable or fruit that contains a greater amount of catalase in
this experiment.

Explanation: The vegetables that are closer to their root or have a big
seed have an optimum pH level, and since catalase produces better at
an optimum pH, the avocado (which contains a big seed) has the most
amount of catalase1

Evaluation: There was a significant difference in the avocado results,

with a standard deviation of 7.84, and a range of 32; this was not
considered as an anomaly since the test was done using fruits,
therefore there is a wide range of factors that could affect the results:
In this case, the avocado was opened and between each experiment
there was a gap of time, this time allowed the avocado to react with
the air and therefore oxidize, affecting the results. Also, the avocado
was different depending on the section used, in some parts it was not
as fresh and green as others, and the samples that got the highest
results were the ones that were very green, therefore it was not an
anomaly but a biological error. The same happened with the Bell
Pepper results since they were the ones that obtained the second
highest standard deviation of 4.71 and a range of 13.

The apparatus used was the most precise available, although it was
not precise enough to give the exact results.

The experiment was carried in an 18 c room the first day and the
second day it was an 18 c room. This affects each result but it also
affects the results in overall since temperature is a know catalyst for
enzyme reactions.

Each time a new vegetable or fruit was going to be used the apparatus
was cleaned in order to assure that the sample being used was not
contaminated by the last sample that was used.

All the results are reliable since they were repeated 5 times and most
of the results are very accurate, except for the avocado and the bell
pepper which have already been explained.

This was a fair test since each of the samples were given the same
amount of hydrogen peroxide, with the same concentration and the
same time that would allow them to react.

Each vegetable or fruit had a different mass, therefore the surface

area of the sample was not the same in each case, this affects the
results since the ones with a bigger surface area will react quicker.
This was avoided by cutting each sample at the same size althou1gh it
was not possible to make them all perfectly equal.

1
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