Yuck, What Happened to My Apple? Investigating How Food Wrappings Affect Spoilage *
| Difficulty | |
| Time Required | Average (6-10 days) |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Material Availability | If you choose to take your experiment further and investigate the rate of bacterial growth, specialty items, like the media on which to grow bacteria, can be ordered from these online vendors. |
| Cost | Low ($20 - $50) |
| Safety | If you choose to investigate the rate of bacterial growth, read the Microorganisms Safety Guide before starting any science fair project. |
*Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated Project Ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.
Abstract
Have you ever eaten half of an apple and tried to save the other half to eat later? What happened to the other half when you were ready to eat it? Did it look and taste as good as the first half, or did it spoil? If it did spoil, what caused it to spoil? Spoilage bacteria are microorganisms that cause food to deteriorate and develop unpleasant odors, tastes, and textures. Sometimes food can even look perfectly good to eat, but can harbor pathogenic bacteria that are hard to detect. Examples of pathogenic bacteria include salmonella and E. coli bacteria.In this cooking and food science fair project, you will investigate which types of wrappings keep sliced apples the freshest in the refrigerator: foil, wax paper, plastic wrap, or baggies. You can also take this science fair project one step further by figuring out how long it takes for bacteria to develop in these wrappings by trying to culture bacteria from each of the samples. For more information on how to culture bacteria, refer to the Science Buddies Microbiology Techniques & Troubleshooting guide. Does the amount and rate of bacteria formation vary with the kind of wrapping used? Throwing away food is a waste of money. Save your family money by investigating how to keep your food fresher for longer.
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Last edit date: 2012-12-07
Bibliography
- Bender, M. and Romero, F. (2007, July). How to Keep Produce Fresh Longer. Real Simple. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1637291,00.html
- Barnes, L. and Romine S. (n.d.). How to Keep Fruits and Veggies Fresh: Proper Storage Prevents Spoilage, Saving You Hundreds. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1103
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