Title of Project

The Saccharinity, Temperature, and Acidity of the Solution Affect the Water Absorption Capacity of Paper Straws

Abstract

Due to the ban on plastic straws in the beverage industry in China (The Central People's Government of China, 2020) and the idea of sustainable development, paper straws have been widely utilized instead of plastic straws (Jiang, 2021). However, paper straws soften and break easily because of the phenomenon of water absorption, which has become one of the most significant effects of consumer experiences (Jiang, 2021). Currently, saccharinity and temperature and acidity are the main influences on the water absorption capacity of paper straws. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different saccharinity, temperatures, and acidity of the solution on the water absorption capacity of paper straws. The experiment was conducted using solutions with different masses of sugar at different temperatures, a different spoonful of lemonade. The experiment used the control variable method and started from the solution with 0 g sugar and 0 ℃. Add 10 g of sugar into the solution and increase 20 ℃ each trail, measuring the mass difference of paper straw with its original mass. Another set of experiments added lemon juice to the solution, adding a spoonful to each channel and measuring the mass difference between the paper pipette and the original mass. The effect of acidity on the absorbency of paper straws was found to be negligible. The saccharinity of the solution slightly influenced the water absorption rate of paper straws. The higher temperature accelerates the motion between molecules, which will accelerate paper straws to absorb water, become softened and break. However, high saccharinity and hot temperatures for drinks are options in almost all beverage stores. Therefore, for the better experiences of beverage consumers, this study could provide references to help beverage makers control the saccharinity and temperatures of beverages.

Biographies

Xinru Jiang is an undergraduate student in the Vantage Science faculty at the University of British Columbia, which combines her love of bubble tea with her passion for chemistry. She is working towards improving straws for a more sustainable future and better consumer experiences. She also organized multiple tea culture conferences that involved people from over eighty countries.

Cheng Zhang is a student of Vantage Science at UBC. She is interested in observation and application of data, and her target is to enter Statistic Major in 2nd year. In high school, she participated in the National Physics and Chemistry Competition and won the rankings, and she joined the Campus American-style debate club.

Hao Jiang is in his freshman year of undergraduate studies at UBC's Faculty of Vantage Science. He is interested in data analysis, stocks, and funds. He will enter the statistics program in the future to study data analysis in-depth.

Qintian Zhou is a member of the UBC community. He used to organize the MUN (Model United Nations) activities in his senior high school which combined his wish of widening his horizon and making acquaintances by sharing savory foods. He is also largely interested in evaluating foods and sharing his feelings after tasting.