- 1). Add the salt and the 90 ml of water to the 250 ml container. Stir to dissolve the salt.
- 2). Add the shampoo or detergent to the salt solution. Stir gently so the soap does not foam. This creates your extraction solution.
- 3). Peel the kiwis and chop them into small pieces -- about 12 pieces per kiwi.
- 4). Put the kiwi in the 1000 ml container and mash it with a fork.
- 5). Pour the extraction solution into the container with the kiwi.
- 6). Prepare a hot water bath by putting about 3 inches of water into a heat-resistant container large enough to hold the container with the kiwi mixture. Heat the water to about 60 degrees C.
- 7). Place the container holding the kiwi mixture into the hot water bath. Incubate for 10 to 12 minutes -- don't leave it there for longer than 15 minutes. Monitor the water temperature with the thermometer to ensure it remains between 50 and 60 degrees C.
- 8). Prepare an ice bath while the kiwi mixture is incubating. Put several ice cubes into a shallow container, then add water until it reaches about 3 inches deep.
- 9). Move the container with the kiwi mixture from the hot water bath to the ice bath. Leave it there for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 10
Place the funnel or strainer over the opening of the 500 ml container while the kiwi mixture is cooling. Place the coffee filter inside the funnel or strainer. - 11
Pour the kiwi mixture into the funnel and allow the liquid portion to filter into the container beneath. It may take more than an hour for all the liquid to filter through, but you can recover an adequate amount for the experiment in about 5 minutes. - 12
Transfer 5 ml or 1 teaspoon of the liquid to a test tube using a sterile pipette or a clean measuring spoon. - 13
Add 10 ml or 2 teaspoons of cold ethanol to the test tube. Use a pipette or medicine dropper to add the ethanol slowly so it does not mix with the liquid. - 14
Set the test tube in a test tube rack and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes. You should see a white substance form in the layer of ethanol -- this is the kiwi DNA. - 15
Remove the DNA from the solution using a wire hook or glass rod.
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