How to investigate colour loss in beetroot

Safety: Sharp knife when cutting the beetroot: adult supervision or cut by adult. Adult supervision when dealing with hot water. Beetroot might dye your clothes and skin so be careful with this too!

Carefully (or have an adult) slice the beetroot. What observations can we make about the beetroot and the knife after the beetroot has been cut?

Cut three thin slices of beetroot. Try to make them as similar in size as you can. (Why do you think that might be important?)

Rinse the slices in a little water to remove the excess colour. (Why do you think we do that?)

Take three glasses, add one slice of beetroot to each glass.

To one glass add very cold water, to another cold water from the tap, and to the third hot water from a tap. Careful when handling hot water, the glass will be hot, ask an adult to help you.

Wait 10 minutes

Stir each glass with a spoon, rinsing between each glass. (Why do you think rinsing is important?)

Pu a white piece of paper behind the three glasses to help you see the colour better. What can you observe about the colour of the water in each glass? What do you think has happened?

These are the three slices taken out of the water at the end of the investigation. Which one do you think was in the hot water? Why do you think it is this one?