Extracting DNA from Strawberries!!!

What you need to do this at home!!  Strawberries, Salt, Dishwashing detergent, a funnel, and rubbing alcohol!!

First you Grabbed your Bag of strawberries

Today we had fun times extracting DNA from Strawberries!  Why would we use strawberries?  Well, the nice thing about strawberries (other than they are good to eat and smell better than peas which is the other option?!?!)  Is that breaking through the cell wall/cell membrane and nuclear membrane of strawberries is fairly easy with a simple DNA extraction buffer.  Ripe strawberries also produce enzymes (Pectinases and cellulases) which help in breaking down cell walls.  ALSO - Strawberries are Octoploid - meaning they have EIGHT of every chromosome. (which = LOADS of DNA to extract).  So here is a run down and pics of todays lab!!

Next you grabbed a beaker and filled it with
10ml of DNA extraction Buffer 

The DNA Extraction buffer consisted of Dishwashing detergent
salt and water.  the detergent contains enzymes that help to break apart the lipid bilayer (remember lipids are fats and the cell membrane is a made up of fats).

Mash up the strawberries!!

Add the DNA Extraction buffer and smash again!!

Filter the mixture through the coffee filter
to capture just the juice

Slowly add the Alcohol to the top

You can start to see the DNA pulling out of
the mixture and into the Alcohol.

And I present to you.... STRAWBERRY DNA!!!!!

A Day's worth of DNA