1. Are the objective and introduction written in an engaging way? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 2. Is the difficulty level accurate? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 3. Were the materials easily obtained? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 4. Was the procedure clear? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 5. Were all safety measures included? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 6. Did you obtain clear, unambiguous results? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 7. How much time did you spend on the project? Choose One... A day or less Several days About one week A couple weeks Several weeks to months 8. How much did the project cost? Choose One... Less than $20 $20 - $50 $50 - $100 $100 - $150 $150+ Optional:  Do you have any suggestions to improve this project? characters left Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! * Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research 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 Fruit is a strategy some plants use to attract animals to disperse seeds. The animals eat the fruit and disperse the seeds through the digestive system. To attract animals, fruit needs to ripen and develop an odor that acts as an attractant. How much more successful are ripe fruits at attracting animals? Try setting out an over and under ripe piece of fruit, and compare how many many insects are attracted to each fruit. How does ripening occur? You can do an experiment using a very ripe banana to see how ethylene can speed the ripening of other types of green, unripe fruit (Science Buddies, One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch: An Experiment on the Plant Hormone Ethylene ). What physiological changes accompany fruit ripening? You can do a taste test of ripe and unripe fruit to assay the sweetness of the fruit. You can also see that as a fruit ripens, it turns brown when exposed to oxygen. This is because of oxidation that occurs on the surface of the fruit. But when we buy fruit products, we don't like them to be brown and yucky. This is why some foods contain preservatives. How do preservatives work? Which types of chemicals act as preservatives? You can use slices of apple or banana to test different chemicals for preservative properties. Try ground up vitamin C tablets, vinegar, lemon juice, vitamin E oil, salt or sugar. Which chemicals will keep the fruit from turning brown? (Cobb, 1979, 69–73; Vecchione, 2001, 162–163) Bibliography Cobb, V. 1979. More Science Experiments You Can Eat. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. Vecchione, G. 2001. 100 Award-Winning Science Fair Projects. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing. Shop for Supplies at Science Buddies Online Store Science Buddies has compiled some suggestions for harder to find items in our Amazon store. The store does not include every item for every project, but it does include items that we feel work for the projects on our website. If you have comments or would like us to add items to the store, please contact us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org. Variations For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Plant Biology Project Ideas. Last edit date: 2008-11-11 12:05:10

I Did This Project! Tell us about your experience with this science project. What was the most important thing you learned? characters left What problems did you encounter? (Enter "none" if you had none.) characters left Can you suggest any improvements or ideas? (Enter "no" if you have none.) characters left How do you rate this project? Poor OK Good Very Good Excellent Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! Related Links Science Fair Project Guide Project Summary Difficulty  4  –  7  Time required Average (about one week) Prerequisites None Material Availability Readily available Cost Very Low (under $20) Safety Do not eat any fruit to which you have added chemicals. Use caution when using sharp knives or other kitchen equipment; adult supervision is recommended. Share this Project Idea! Donate to Science Buddies Motorola Solutions Foundation sponsors Summer Science Camp Resource Summer Science Camp Resource

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring related careers.

	Food Science Technician Good taste, texture, quality, and safety are all very important in the food industry. Food science technicians test and catalog the physical and chemical properties of food to help ensure these aspects.			Agricultural Technician As the world's population grows larger, it is important to improve the quality and yield of food crops and animal food sources. Agricultural technicians work in the forefront of this very important research area by helping scientists conduct novel experiments. If you would like to combine technology with the desire to see things grow, then read further to learn more about this exciting career.
	Food Scientist or Technologist There is a fraction of the world's population that doesn't have enough to eat or doesn't have access to food that is nutritionally rich. Food scientists or technologists work to find new sources of food that have the right nutrition levels and that are safe for human consumption. In fact, our nation's food supply depends on food scientists and technologists that test and develop foods that meet and exceed government food safety standards. If you are interested in combining biology, chemistry, and the knowledge that you are helping people, then a career as a food scientist or technologist could be a great choice for you!			Plant Scientist With a growing world population, making sure that there is enough food for everyone is critical. Plant scientists work to ensure that agricultural practices result in an abundance of nutritious food in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

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