Lena Savoie
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule found in nearly every cell of a living organism. It is shaped like a double helix, with two spirals made of sugars and phosphates connected by chemicals known as bases. In this experiment, we will extract DNA from strawberries without using alcohol. Strawberries are used in DNA extraction activities because each strawberry cell has eight copies of the genome, resulting in a high yield of DNA per cell.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To see DNA with the naked eye |
| Ingredients | Dish soap, salt, strawberries, water, something to strain it with (e.g. cheesecloth, coffee filter) |
| Equipment | Plastic cups, zip-closure bag, funnel, small glass jar, bamboo skewer |
| Steps | 1. Mash strawberries in a zip-closure bag. 2. Add extraction solution (water, dish soap, and salt) to the bag. 3. Mix and mash the bag in your hand. 4. Pour the mixture from the bag into a funnel lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. 5. Pour the filtered strawberry liquid into a glass jar. 6. Slowly pour cold rubbing alcohol down the side of the jar. 7. The DNA will appear as a whitish, snot-like substance. |
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What You'll Learn
Use a detergent to pop open strawberry cells
To extract DNA from strawberries without using alcohol, you can use a detergent to pop open the strawberry cells. This process is called cell lysis.
First, prepare a DNA extraction solution by mixing about one tablespoon of dish detergent with one teaspoon of salt in one cup of water. This solution will help to lyse (or pop open) the strawberry cells and release the DNA into the surrounding liquid. The salt in the solution also helps to create an environment where the different strands of DNA can gather together in a clump, making it easier to see.
Next, place a strawberry in a zip-closure bag and remove most of the air before sealing it. Mash the strawberry through the bag using your hand. Avoid hitting it against a table as this may damage the DNA.
Now, add your DNA extraction solution to the bag. You will need approximately two tablespoons of the solution for each strawberry. Continue mixing and mashing the bag in your hand. The detergent in the solution will cause the strawberry cells to burst open, releasing the DNA.
After gently mixing the contents of the bag, you can pour the liquid through a filter and separate it from the solid strawberry schmutz. At this stage, you should be able to see the DNA in the liquid—it will appear as whitish, snot-like material floating in the upper layer of the liquid.
This activity is a fun and simple way to extract and view DNA from strawberries without the need for alcohol. It's important to note that you can also use other fruits like kiwis or oatmeal for DNA extraction activities.
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Mix DNA extraction solution with strawberries
To mix DNA extraction solution with strawberries, you'll first need to make the solution itself. To do this, take a plastic cup and add 1 tablespoon of dishwashing detergent or liquid dish soap, along with 1 teaspoon of salt, and mix it with 1 cup of water. Gently mix the solution until all the salt has dissolved.
Next, you'll prepare the strawberries. Place a strawberry in a zip-closure bag, removing as much air as possible before sealing the bag. Using your hand, gently mash the strawberry through the bag. Avoid hitting the bag against a table as this may damage the DNA. With the strawberry mashed, add 2-3 tablespoons of the DNA extraction solution to the bag.
Now, you'll mix and mash the contents of the bag by hand for about a minute. Be careful to not create too many soap bubbles during this process. At this stage, the detergent will help to lyse (pop open) the strawberry cells, releasing their DNA into the liquid in the bag. The salt will aid in creating an environment where the different strands of DNA can gather together in clumps, making it easier to see them.
After mixing, carefully pour the mixture from the bag into a funnel placed over a tall glass. Allow the mixture to drip through a cheesecloth or coffee filter into the glass. This will separate the liquid from the solid strawberry pulp, leaving you with a filtered strawberry liquid.
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Filter the strawberry mixture
To filter the strawberry mixture, you will need a funnel, a piece of cheesecloth, and a tall glass. Place the funnel on top of the tall glass and line it with the cheesecloth. Make sure the cheesecloth is secure and won't fall into the glass when you pour in the strawberry mixture.
Once the funnel and cheesecloth are set up, carefully pour the strawberry mixture from the bag into the funnel. Allow the liquid to drip through the cheesecloth and into the tall glass. This process may take a few minutes, so be patient and let gravity do its work. You can gently squeeze the cheesecloth to speed up the process, but be careful not to squeeze too hard as this may cause the cheesecloth to tear or the liquid to spill.
As the strawberry mixture passes through the cheesecloth, the solid particles, or pulp, will be separated from the liquid. The cheesecloth acts as a barrier, trapping the solid particles and allowing only the liquid to pass through. This filtration step ensures that you are left with a relatively clear and particle-free liquid in the tall glass.
After filtering, you should be left with a small amount of wet pulp in the funnel and a glass containing the filtered strawberry liquid. The filtered liquid should have a much lighter colour and a more uniform consistency compared to the original strawberry mixture. If necessary, you can repeat the filtration process using a new piece of cheesecloth to ensure that all solid particles are removed.
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Pour the filtered liquid into a jar
Now that you've prepared your strawberries, it's time to pour the filtered liquid into a jar. This is an important step in the DNA extraction process, so be careful not to rush it.
First, take your filtered strawberry liquid and carefully pour it into a tall glass. You want to ensure that you only have the liquid and that any remaining solid strawberry pulp has been left behind in the previous step. Once you have the clear, filtered liquid in your glass, you're ready to move on to the next part of the process.
Now, take a small glass jar. A baby food jar or a short spice jar is ideal for this purpose, but any small glass jar will do. Pour the filtered strawberry liquid from the tall glass into the small jar until it is about one-quarter full. Be careful not to overfill the jar, as you will need to add another liquid in the next step.
The next step is crucial: you must measure out half a cup of cold rubbing alcohol. This alcohol will help separate the DNA from the rest of the liquid. Tilt the jar slightly and slowly pour the cold alcohol down the side. Continue pouring until the alcohol forms a layer about one inch deep on top of the strawberry liquid. It's important to do this slowly and carefully to avoid mixing the two liquids too much.
You should now have two distinct layers in your jar: the strawberry liquid on the bottom and the alcohol on top. If you look closely, you might even start to see some stringy, whitish material forming at the point where the two liquids meet. This is the strawberry DNA! To confirm, take a bamboo skewer or a toothpick and dip it into the jar at the point where the two liquids meet. Pull the skewer out, and you should see the gooey, clear to white-coloured DNA strands clinging to it. Congratulations, you've successfully extracted strawberry DNA without using alcohol in the initial steps!
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Observe the DNA with the naked eye
To observe strawberry DNA with the naked eye, you'll first need to separate it from the strawberry's cells. Strawberries are a great choice for this experiment because they have a high number of DNA strands per cell—up to eight sets of chromosomes, whereas human cells only have two sets.
To begin, you'll need to prepare a plastic bag containing mashed strawberries, to which you'll add a mixture of water, salt, and dishwashing liquid. This solution will break down the strawberry cell walls, releasing the DNA. Once you've combined the strawberries with this solution, you'll need to filter the mixture into a cup or test tube.
Now, for the crucial part of observing the DNA:
After filtering the strawberry mixture, you'll notice two distinct layers. The top layer will be the alcohol, and below it will be the strawberry solution. At the interface of these two layers, you'll observe a remarkable transformation. A white, cloudy, thread-like substance will begin to form. This substance, resembling snot to some, is the strawberry DNA! The DNA appears in this cloudy form because the alcohol causes it to precipitate and clump together, making it visible to the naked eye.
To further examine the DNA, you can use a coffee stirrer or toothpick to swirl it around and even pull it out of the liquid. This activity provides a fascinating opportunity to visualize DNA, which, in its single-stranded form, is typically too small to see without a powerful microscope. By collecting the DNA from thousands of strawberry cells and inducing it to clump together, you've created a visible mass of genetic material that would otherwise be invisible.
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Frequently asked questions
To extract DNA from strawberries without alcohol, you will need dish soap, salt, strawberries, water, and something to strain it with. First, make a DNA extraction solution by mixing 1 tablespoon of dish detergent with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of water. Place a strawberry in a zip-closure bag, remove the air, and seal the bag. Mash the strawberry through the bag, then add your extraction solution and continue mixing and mashing. Finally, pour the mixture into a funnel with a cheesecloth or coffee filter and let it drip into a glass. The DNA will appear as a whitish, snot-like substance.
Alcohol is used in DNA extraction to separate the DNA from the rest of the liquid through a process called precipitation. DNA is not soluble in alcohol, so it clumps together and becomes visible.
Some alternatives to using alcohol for DNA extraction include using phenol or ethanol.
