Question

Which stain is used while observing mitochondria in onion peel?

Answer 1

Hint: Staining is the process in which a particular chemical dye is used to color the particular organelle and when stain is absorbed, it looks different from the rest of the cellular components.

Complete answer:
Safranin stain is used to stain and observe the organelle mitochondria in an onion peel. Safranin stain is a pink colored biological stain which is mostly used for staining purposes in biological experiments.
Safranin stain helps by developing the red color of the nuclei of the cell. It has a property of serving as a counterstain in both positive and negative gram stains. It is also used and is helpful in the staining of endospores. It can also be used for staining for detection of the cartilage, mucin and mast cell granules.
Mitochondrion is considered to be one of the most important organelles which are present in the cell. Mitochondria are double layered membranes and there is a space present in between both the inner and outer layer. The inner membrane of the mitochondria folds towards the inner side and forms the structures known as cristae. Cristae are developed for increasing the surface area and thus aids in the reaction taking place in mitochondria for the production and synthesis of the energy molecules called ATP. ATP is an Adenosine Triphosphate molecule. As the energy for all the activities which takes place inside the cell, is formed in the mitochondria, it is known as the powerhouse of the cell. It also has its own DNA and thus known as semi-autonomous organelle.

Note: Different stains are used to see different organelles of the cell. To observe mitochondria in the live cells, Janus green stain is used. Other staining compounds are methylene blue, iodine etc. so they should be studied carefully.