Daisha's Banging Burgers

                             Daisha’s Banging Burgers

INTRODUCTION  

 For my project I decided to make burgers. Out of all the times I have made burgers I have never thought about the science behind, I'm sure you haven't either. Together we will learn about the molecules that makes up America's favorite, BURGERS! And test the difference between beef, turkey, and veggie burgers. 

  

BACKGROUND   

The beef used for burgers come from a ground muscle tissue from a cow. The ground meat contains a protein called myoglobin. It's mostly completely of helices or coiled regions of the protein chain. Deep in the mix of protein there is one single iron atom tucked away. When cooking a burger there is steam coming off which is due to the water molecules burning off. When the meat is cooking it causes the portions to denature, which means to break down. The browning, known as the Maillard reaction, around a burger is due to the amino acids and sugars burning together. The impossible burger is given the desired qualities of beef burgers. The impossible burgers contain an ingredient called leghemoglobin. Just like myoglobin it has one iron atom hidden in the mix. It comes from soybeans. Leghemoglobin is chemically bonded into a nonprotein molecule. It creates a blood-red color like Heme, which is also used in impossible burgers. 

   

Figure 1 - Myoglobin and the iron molecule 

Figure 2- Maillard reaction(browning)

Figure 3- Leghemoglobin

Hypotheses:  

The impossible burger will take longer than the turkey and beef to cook/brown. 

  

Recipes and Instructions 

• Ground beef and turkey  
• Veggie patties 
• Oil 
• Seasoning 
• Pan/ griddle 
• Season the meat/ patty 
• Turn heat on medium-high (7) 
• Add oil for turkey and veggie patty 
• Form patties/ take out of package 
• Place patties in pan/ on griddle  
• Let cook until golden and done throughout  

 Data/Results:  

Choice of protein	Beef	Turkey	Veggie
Cooking time	15	16	20
Cooking notes	Used nature seasoning   Not cooked on oil  Raw and red   After about 7 minutes one side start to brown  Started to crust around the edges	Used nature seasoning  Cooked in half a cap full of oil  Pale tan color  Stuck to the griddle a little   After 9 minutes browning started to happen   Crusting started after 10 minutes	Used nature seasoning   Full cap of oil  Pale pink with veggie pieces   Started to brown around 10 minutes   Get stuck   Falls apart some
End results	Finished in 15 minutes  Brown  Tough   Round/ plump  Rich in color  Brwon all the way through  Moist	Finished in 16 minutes Has some color to it   Round/plump  Cooked all the way through   Tough   Moist	Finished in 20 minutes  Kind of Brown color   Cooked all the way through  Tough  Moist
Picture

End picture:  

 

Summary  

The beef and turkey burgers have the same result because they both come from animals. Although the protein is not the same it has similarities that would make them have the same results. The beef taste was rich due to the protein myoglobin and the Maillard reaction which was the browning around the edges. The turkey burger had some browning happen as well due to the oil it was cooked on. The veggie burger was cooked in oil as well and only had very little browning. The color started to come in later than the beef and turkey did but that was expected.