Pineapple or papaya enzyme test on gelatin

Where to buy & price

Just examples of where to look and roughly what to expect to pay, get everything from wherever works for you, at whatever price you find.

Fresh pineapple/papaya ~KSh 100–200. Canned pineapple (control) ~KSh 150–250. Jelly crystals ~KSh 50–100/packet, all at any supermarket or market.

Cold storage / timing

Control cups need the fridge for 3–4 hours to set.

Reagents & materials required

Procedure, step by step

1. 1

   Prepare three small cups of gelatin (jelly) mixture following the packet instructions, and let them chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes until partially set (thick but not fully firm).

2. 2

   Cut a few small chunks of fresh pineapple or papaya, and separately prepare a portion of canned or cooked pineapple as your control.

3. 3

   Push a few chunks of the fresh fruit into the first cup of partially-set gelatin, chunks of canned fruit into the second cup, and leave the third cup with no fruit added as a plain control.

4. 4

   Return all three cups to the fridge for another 3–4 hours, or overnight, to give the plain and canned-fruit cups time to fully set.

5. 5

   Check all three cups: the plain and canned-fruit gelatin should be firm and set, while the fresh-fruit cup should stay liquid or fail to set at all.

6. 6

   Photograph the three cups together, tilting them slightly to show which ones actually set.