What does Benedict's test detect?

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Multiple Choice

What does Benedict's test detect?

Explanation:
Benedict's test detects reducing sugars. The blue copper(II) sulfate in Benedict's solution is reduced by sugars that have a free aldehyde or ketone group, turning Cu2+ into Cu+ and forming a brick-red copper(I) oxide precipitate. The colour shift (blue to green, yellow, orange, then brick red) reflects how much reducing sugar is present. Non-reducing sugars like sucrose don’t cause this change unless they’re hydrolysed first. This test doesn’t detect starch, fats, or proteins, which require different assays (iodine for starch, Biuret or other tests for proteins, and fat tests like Sudan III or emulsion tests).

Benedict's test detects reducing sugars. The blue copper(II) sulfate in Benedict's solution is reduced by sugars that have a free aldehyde or ketone group, turning Cu2+ into Cu+ and forming a brick-red copper(I) oxide precipitate. The colour shift (blue to green, yellow, orange, then brick red) reflects how much reducing sugar is present. Non-reducing sugars like sucrose don’t cause this change unless they’re hydrolysed first. This test doesn’t detect starch, fats, or proteins, which require different assays (iodine for starch, Biuret or other tests for proteins, and fat tests like Sudan III or emulsion tests).

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