Benedict’s Test: Procedure

The procedure for Benedict’s test is:

1. Put approximately 1 mL of Benedict's reagent into a clean, dry test tube.

2. Add 2-3 drops of the liquid sample into the test tube.

3. Heat the content of the test tube for approximately 3 minutes in a heated water bath.

4. Formation of a red precipitate of cuprous oxide indicates the presence of a reducing sugar. Low amounts of reducing sugars appear as a green or orange precipitate.

Figure 1 - Benedict's test procedure for detecting the presence of reducing sugars in a sample.