IGCSE Biology / Food and digestion

Practical: measuring the energy in a food sample

Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1), chapter 4: Food and digestion, specification point 2.33B. Part of the full course.

Read the revision notes · IGCSE Biology past papers

Burning food beneath water lets you estimate the food’s energy from the water’s temperature rise. The measured energy per gram is an underestimate because heat is lost and the food may not burn completely.

More lessons in Food and digestion

• Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids
• Testing for starch, sugars, protein and fat
• The seven parts of a balanced diet
• What changes how much energy you need
• The parts of the digestive system
• Teeth, chewing and peristalsis
• Amylase, protease and lipase
• Bile, the liver and emulsifying fat
• The villus and absorption