TEXT G How is the vitamin content in food
determined Most labs determine the vitamin content of
foods using a combination of two technologies —chromotography, which sorts food
molecules based on their molecular weight, and a light emission detector that
identifies molecules based on their interaction with light。 To
test the vitamin A content in an apple, for example, laboratories first grind
the fruit to a pulpy liquid and drop a small sample through a device known as a
vertical chromotography column. As the sample falls through the column, smaller
molecules move faster while heavier molecules move more slowly. As each molecule
drops from the bottom of the column, a monitor sounds out like the blips on an
electrocardiogram that ring out each time the heart beats. All molecules pass
through the column at specific speeds— vitamin A typically takes 10 minutes — a
characteristic that has been previously determined. When 10
minutes have elapsed, a machine shoots a beam of light through the bottom end of
the column and records the wavelength and intensity of light the molecule
reemits. If vitamin A is present, it should have reemitted the light at a
characteristic 325-nanometer wavelength. The intensity of the light given off is
a measure of how much vitamin A is present. So by comparing the intensity of the
light given off in the apple sample to the intensity of a known amount of
vitamin A, scientists can calculate the amount present in the sample.
A.it has to be ground first B.it has-to be weighed first C.it has to be X-rayed first D.it has to be first treated in a chemical liquid