1. Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University Plants Unit Activity 4.3: Materials Plants Are Made Of

2. What are plants made of?

3. We can find out what materials plants made of by reading nutrition labels for plants we eat. We will use labels with a serving size of 100 g. This means that 1 g = 1% of the materials in the food

4. What are plants made of? CARBOHYDRATES glucose starch fiber What atoms are carbohydrates made of?

5. Carbohydrates in Carrots (Plant Root) Total carbohydrate = starch + sugar + fiber (such as cellulose) How much starch is in 100 grams of carrots?

6. What are plants made of? FATS Fat molecule 1 glycerol3 fatty acids What atoms are fats made of?

7. Fat in Peanuts (Plant Seeds) How much fat is in 100 grams of peanuts?

8. What are plants made of? PROTEIN What atoms are proteins made of? Two of the Amino Acids

9. Protein in Carrots (Plant Roots) How much protein is in 100 grams of carrots?

10. Organic Molecules in Plants FATS GLUCOSE STARCH PROTEINS CARBOHYDRATES: What atoms are organic molecules in plants made of?

11. Minerals in Plants Plants also contain minerals that are used for plant functions. These minerals have different kinds of atoms, including: Nitrogen Phosphorous Calcium Sodium

12. Other Molecules in Plants Vitamins, minerals, and cholesterol make up less than 1% of plants (less than 1 gram out of 100 grams).

13. Water in Plants Besides organic materials or biomass (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) plants are made up mostly of water. About how much water is in 100 grams of carrots?

14. How much water is in 100 grams of carrots? Organic materials in carrots Protein: 1% (1 g out of 100 g) Carbohydrates: 10% Fat: 0% Cholesterol and vitamins: less than 1% Inorganic materials in carrots Minerals (sodium, iron): less than 1% What’s left? WATER: about 89%

15. Which molecules have chemical energy? PROTEINS FATS GLUCOSE STARCH CARBOHYDRATES: WATER

16. Chemical Energy in Carrots (Plant Root) Organic molecules in plants have chemical energy in their high-energy bonds (C-C and C- H). Calories measure how much usable energy is stored in the organic molecules of a plant.