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The Benedict's Test for Non-reducing Sugars determines the presence of non-reducing
sugars - sugars which do not have an aldehyde functional group.
Many students confuse the Benedict's Test for Non-Reducing Sugars with the Benedict's
Test for Reducing Sugars, perhaps because some of the steps in the procedure are similar.
Benedict's solution is the principle reagent in both tests. The test for non-reducing sugars is
often conducted on a food sample which tested negative for reducing sugar. If reducing
sugars have been shown to be present, a heavier precipitate is often observed when the test
for non-reducing sugar is conducted.
The Fehling's Test for Non-reducing sugar is an alternative to the Benedict's Test. However it
is less popular as it less sensitive and requires tha the reagents - Fehling's solutions A and B be kept separate until the experiment is carried out.
Procedure
1.A liquid food sample does not need prior preparation except dilution if viscous or
concentrated.
For a solid sample prepare a test solution by crushing the food and adding a moderate
amount of distilled water. Decant the suspension to remove large particles. Use the
decanted liquid as the test solution.
2.Add 2 cm3 of the sample solution to a test tube.
3.Add 1 cm3 of dilute hydrochloric acid and boil for one minute.
4.Allow the tube to cool and then neutralize the acid with sodium hydrogen
carbonate. Exercise caution due to 'fizzing' or effervescence.
Check with blue litmus paper or pH paper. Do not worry if the resulting solution is
slightly alkaline; Benedict's solution is also alkaline since an alkaline medium in
needed for oxidation of the copper (II) ions by the sugars
Then carry out Benedict's Test as for reducing sugars:
5.Add an 2 cm3 of Benedict's solution to the test tube and swirl or vortex the
mixture.
6.Leave the test tube in a boiling water bath for about 5 minutes, or until the colour
of the mixture does not change.
7.Observe the colour changes during that time as well as the final colour.
8.To prepare a control, repeat steps 2-6 using 2 cm3 of distilled water instead of
sample solution.
INTERPRETATION
Green
Yellow
Orange
Brick Red
The final colour may be any of the colours above, depending on the quantity of non-reducing
sugar present. If you do no observe the brick-red colour, it does not mean that your
experiment has not been successful.
It is important to note that the Benedict's Test for Non-reducing Sugars is not specific to any
one type of non-reducing sugar, and that the colour corresponds to the total
reducing and non-reducing sugar present.