Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi, I would like to know under what conditions does bread mold the fastest.

Hi Philip23!

If you supply "When does bread mold the fastest?" to answers.com and look through the responses, you'll see different factors affecting mold growth rate. There are also suggested science projects.

Just some background information...

My 4-year-old son and I just did that experiment and I'll offer some comments on our procedure:
-- we first wet the bread a bit and then dropped it on the ground a few times outside.
-- we put it inside a clear plastic zip-lock bag to keep outside forces from influencing the experiment, to allow light in, to allow us to see it, and to prevent the house from getting smelly!
-- it took about a week for the first evidence of mold to show up.
-- it took another week for it to start getting really moldy.

So, you'll want to give yourself at least 2 weeks to perform the experiment, so don't leave it for the last minute!

I think some good variables would be:
-- light: bright sunlight versus normal room light versus darkness.
-- temperature: room temperature versus some heat (on top of a computer monitor, for example) versus cold (refrigerator) versus freezing (freezer).
-- moisture: how wet do you make the bread initially.
-- exposure to the potential mold spores: dropping it outside versus inside, dropping it on the ground a lot, versus just a little, versus not at all.

That's a good experiment -- have fun!