Hobbies And Interests
What Are Edible Animal Cell Projects?
The students have to construct a model of an animal cell with edible materials. The animal cell model can be made from a variety of food materials, both cooked and raw. Gelatin and candies are the most common food items used to make these models. It is important that these edible materials have a shelf life of at least three days for display purposes.
Organelles
An animal cell has the following parts (organelles): Cell membrane, cytoplasm, cell nucleus, mitochondrion, centriole, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, lysosomes, ribosomes and vacuole. All of these organelles should be included in an animal cell project. The main difference between a plant and an animal cell is that an animal cell does not have a cell wall.
Steps Involved in Making an Animal Cell
Before starting to make the model, all of the necessary edible materials must be gathered. The base of the animal cell should be made with a gelatin-like material prepared with less water than the package directions so that it will be stiffer to hold the cell parts inside. After the base is prepared, the materials that represent the organelles of the cell should be added before the gelatin base material sets.
Benefits
Edible animal cell projects are easy to make and help students learn about the cell components. Since they learn about the animal cell by making the model themselves, the imprint will stay in their mind forever. When this is done as a group project, not only will they enjoy it, they will also learn to work as a team.