Candy Gel Electrophoresis Lab Conclusion

When we analyzed the results of the gel, there were two dyes that had a different result than that of the reference dyes. The first dye that differentiated from the reference dyes came from Eng's candies, which were purple skittles. The original dye that came off the skittles was purple. However, at the end of the actual electrophoresis lab, the dye had separated into the same purple dye, but under the purple was a dark red dye. This was the exact color dye of the red reference dye. The red experimental dye that came out of the purple dye also traveled the same amount as the red reference dye. The photo below faintly shows the color separation in the purple experimental dye. The purple is five dyes from the left.

The second case of a differentiating dye came from my candies, the green Mike & Ike's. The green dye separated into a yellow dye that was identical to the yellow reference dye, and a blue dye that was identical to the blue reference dye. There was a significant difference between the distance traveled of the two dyes, but there were the same distances as the identical reference dyes. The photo above also shows this separation. It is the farthest right in the photo. 

The Fast Green FCF dye would travel similarly to the Blue 1 reference dye because their structure is virtually the same. The only difference is the molecules that make up the dyes. Citrus red 2 would travel a similar distance to both Yellow 6 and Red 40. This is not only because of the structure, but also because of the molecules that make the dyes up. Citrus red 2 is made up of OH, N, and O, while the two reference dyes are made up of HO, N, SO3, and O3S. There are only small differences in the makeup. Neither Carminic acid nor Betanin are similar to the reference dyes. 

Dog food manufacturers put artificial food dyes in the dog food to attract the owners of the dogs. Dogs that eat the food do not care about the color of the food they eat, considering the fact that they are color blind. However, their owners are conscious about what their beloved pets eat. It is just like buying food for their child, which is why they go for the most attractive foods and want what looks best for their pets.

Instead of keeping a record of our weekly intake, we decided to monitor the artificial dyes in popular foods. For example, fruit flavored, whole grain cereals considered healthy often had a mix of Blue 1 and Red 40. Specifically, fruit flavored Cheerios contains Red 40, Blue 1, and Yellow 6. It was also recently discovered that 19 of the most popular yogurt brands made their yogurt with Red 40. 

The two factors that most affect the distance traveled by the dyes are the charge and the length/size of the dye. The charge of the dye affects the distance because gel electrophoresis works on the DNA's electricity. The DNA is attracted to positive charges, which means that charge of the DNA/dye tested matters. The size/length of the dye matters because the smaller the strand, the faster/farther it travels. 

Electricity is the force that helps more the dyes through the gel. The dye is attracted to the positive charge at the other end of the gel .

The electricity component also causes the molecules to separate by size. This is because the dyes move across the gel plane with the positive charge. However, the dyes move a certain distance in a certain amount of time. The size affects the distance traveled because the larger the dye, the longer it takes to get from one place to another. It is like a small Porsche racing against a large 18-wheeler. The smaller vehicle will win because it is smaller and there is less mass to move from the start to the finish. 

Size corresponds to weight. Mostly, the larger something is, the heavier it is. Going by the logic stated in the previous paragraph, that the smaller/lighter the object the farther it moves, the fewer daltons a DNA strand weighs, the farther it will travel. The DNA that weighs 600 daltons will travel the farthest, while the 5000 dalton DNA will travel the shortest distance. Everything else falls in between.