Mold Experiment

Bread Mold Experiment Mold is something that we often take for granted, as something that makes us have to throw the bread away or the cheese smell bad. Mold is, in fact, a fascinating organism which has had many different uses over the years and our lives would not be the same without it. Most of us know that food seems to become moldy more quickly in the summer than in the winter when it is colder. Food in refrigerators seems to keep longer than food left out in the sun. Is this true? Does temperature really affect the rate at which mold grows? Mold grows quicker at higher temperatures.
Companies pay large sums of money in maintaining food refrigerated in house and on transport, so it is essential for them to know under what conditions and temperature mold grows or it is contained. Mold is often looked as something negative, but mold it is found in different products that we use in our daily life. Some of these products are cheese, soy sauce, medicine, etc… Mold is a fungus which grows in food and other organic products which extract the nutrients of these organic products for growth. Alexander Fleming discovered that common mold killed germs.
From this common mold he made a medicine that he called Penicillin and some other medicines are made from chemicals derived from mold. This discovery was discovered by pure accident, it is described that he was cleaning his work area when he discovered it, “Some mold was growing on one of the dishes… not too unusual, but all around the mold, the staph bacteria had been killed… very unusual. He took a sample of the mold. He found that it was from the penicillium family, later specified as Penicillium notatum. Fleming presented his findings in 1929, but they raised little interest.

He published a report on penicillin and its potential uses in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology. ” (“Fleming discovers penicillin,” 1998) Mold grows faster under hot conditions. As the data will show from the experiment conducted over 10 days, mold grows at a faster pace when the product is exposed outside temperature (OT) which is from 90-100 Fahrenheit . Below are the tools, products and method needed to conduct the experiment. It is important to be aware of dependent, independent and controlled variables as the experiment is executed.
A dependent variable is a variable that is link to the dependent variable in order to exist. And independent variable is the one ‘YOU’ can manipulate. Last, a controlled variable is the constant variable of the experiments. For example, Light is one of our independent variables so in order to keep it constant, the Room Temperature (RT), which is 70-75 Fahrenheit and the OT product was cover with a towel during the entire time the experiment was being conducted. The freezer (F) product, which is 32 – 35 Fahrenheit, was not covered due to the fact that it was contained in the freezer and is not able to received sunlight.
In order to minimize threat reduction validity, the measurement of the product was done equally with all pieces of bread. Bags were of the same brand and size and the bread slices were all members of the same package. Another factor to consider is being able to record quantitative data, by quantitative data is meant results that can be measure and collected in order to verify or disproof the hypothesis of such experiment. What is needed for the Mold Bread Experiment ·15 slices of bread. Make sure all slices come out from the same bag of bread and all of them are similar size, weight and thickness.
Make sure you write down the name of the brand and ·Use-by- date and the date of the experiment. This is to create record of how many days were remaining from the experiment date to use-by date. ·Use 15 bags-make sure they seal and are from the same brand. ·Clean knife ·Chopping board or cutting surface ·Adhesive labels ·Pen or marker ·Mask ·Gloves ·Notebook ·Pen ·Thermometer ·Ruler Method(steps) Use the labels in order to label the bags and use the marker to do so. Mark 5 of the bags with an “F” for Freezer, mark another 5 bags with “RT” for room temperature and 5 more bags with “OT” for outside temperature. Cut the bread in 10X10 using the copping board and the knife. It is important that all the squares have the same measurement. ·Introduce each bread slide into the plastic bags and make sure they get sealed. ·Place the 5 bags labeled as “F” in the freezer, 5 bags labeled “RT” on the kitchen counter and 5 bags labeled “OT” in open climate(Outside) ·Use the thermometer in order to record the temperature for the three different types of climates where the bread will be placed. ·Make sure the “RT” bags and “OT” bags are covered with a towel so light can be a constant factor. Check the bags every 24-36 hrs in order to check for mold. ·Average of the pieces of bread with mold can be used to record the daily results ·Record the mold grow every day in a table using your notebook ·This process should be repeated for 10 days and record the results. · Measure the results for labels “F”, “RT” and “OT” are documented accordingly. ·When the experiment is completed make sure to dispose of the bags without opening them. Type of Bread|Day1 %|Day 2%|Day3%|Day4%|Day5%|Day6%|Day7%|Day8%|Day9%|Day10%| F|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0| RT|0|0|0|0|2%|7%|10%|12%|16%|20%|
OT|0|4%|7%|15%|25%|35%|50%|60%|70%|85%| Results Because each square of bread is 100 cm2, you can express your results as a percentage. For each of the bread types, “F”, “RT” or “OT” average the amount of mold grown over the ten days by measuring the mold grown over all five slices of bread per bread type and write these figures into a table. Include the average as a percent of all 5 pieces of bread by bread type into a table then transfer this information into a graph. You can then place this information into a graph and begin to explore the results.
You can place the amount of mold on each bread sample and compare it to the number of days, like in the diagram below. This can be done with a sheet of graph paper and colored pens or on a computer. As it is recorded in the chart above, mold grows faster under hot conditions. But that is not all, mold grows twice and sometimes three times faster than the rate of mold grown at room temperature and the one in the freezer. Bread in the freezer was at 32F and no mold was shown in the product. This data tells us that freezing conditions help prevent the growth of mold.
The results of this experiment confirm the hypothesis described above, mold grows faster under hot environment. The focus of experimental design consists in planning an investigation in something that naturally happens in nature by the manipulation of a specific variable. By conducting these types of experiments, scientists are able to understand and cause an effect of a particular inquiry at hand. It helps understand how the manipulation of variables will enhance or affect the natural order of things.
Many great discoveries, new medicines and treatments have been recorded and science and technology have advance immensely by applying these methods as experiments are conducted. Any one else following the method specified above can replicate this experiment and receive the same results, by being able to replicate the experiment, it evaluates and gives validity to the recorded data and the findings . Fleming discovers penecilin. (1998). Retrieved from http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm28pe. html