Question

Is there any other test to test the presence of fats in a given substance other than pouring that substance into some paper like material and then seeing whether it turns translucent or not? Because if we even pour water or any liquid on that paper like material it also makes the paper turn translucent...

Answer 1

Dear Student,

The method you mentioned is not suitable with watery substance - the water will make the paper translucent and you'll get a false result.

There are other methods :

1) Grind up the substance and mix it with water. Pass it through filter paper, squeezing out the suspension into a test tube. Leave this mixture it will separate out into a layer of fat and a layer of water, because fat is less dense than water.

2) Add ethanol to a very small amount of the test substance. Shake or crush the substance to make it dissolve. Filter so that you get a clear liquid (a solution of fat in ethanol). Add this to a test tube of water. A white (milk-like) emulsion indicates the presence of fats or oils.