Caloric Density Full Lab

In this chemistry and nutrition demonstration, I explore the caloric density of different foods by burning them and measuring the energy they release. Using a simple calorimetry setup, I test marshmallows, Cheerios, Cheeto puffs, peanuts, and potato chips to see which contains the most energy per gram.
Each food sample is first measured for mass, then burned beneath a can filled with a known amount of water. By recording the temperature change of the water and the final mass of the food, we calculate how much heat energy was transferred — allowing us to determine the calories per gram of each food.
This demonstration reveals how foods with higher fat content release more heat during combustion, illustrating the science of caloric density, energy transfer, and the fundamentals of calorimetry used in real nutritional analysis.
What You’ll Learn:
How caloric density differs among common snack foods
How calorimetry is used to measure energy in food
Why foods with more fat typically release more heat
How to calculate calories per gram using temperature change
The relationship between combustion and stored chemical energy