Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello,
I'm doing a project to test if turmeric should be consumed or applied as it is, used with the curcumin extracted from it,used mixed with other antioxidants( such as black pepper) or used when mixed in a cream or serum.
I don't know which kind of agar plates is supposed to be used for these testes, which kind do I order, thank you.

And also, how can I mix black pepper and turmeric so I can test them in an agar plate?

Which bacteria can I use to test them?

Are there any other good methods to test turmerics antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other properties?

Is this the right project to be doing with turmeric, and what can be a good title for this project.
Please answer as soon as possible.

anarhan wrote:Hello,
I'm doing a project to test if turmeric should be consumed or applied as it is, used with the curcumin extracted from it,used mixed with other antioxidants( such as black pepper) or used when mixed in a cream or serum.
I don't know which kind of agar plates is supposed to be used for these testes, which kind do I order, thank you.

And also, how can I mix black pepper and turmeric so I can test them in an agar plate?

Which bacteria can I use to test them?

Are there any other good methods to test turmerics antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other properties?

Is this the right project to be doing with turmeric, and what can be a good title for this project.
Please answer as soon as possible.

Hi anarhan,

Could you perhaps describe your experiment in more detail? I'm slightly confused as to how you will test, using agar plates, whether tumeric should be applied to skin or not? (Perhaps you were thinking of using agar plates to test the antibiotic resistance of tumeric?)

And welcome to Science Buddies! We're always here to help!

-JSK

Thanks for replying,
So my project is to test most of turmerics health benefits, as in how it is best used to access its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antibacterial properties. For my project this year I would like to focus more on how it should be applied to skin, but I will still test how it should be used for its antibacterial properties. Which type of agar plates should I order to do these tests. Can you please reply to the other questions I asked in my first post too if you can.
Thank you JSK

anarhan wrote:Thanks for replying,
So my project is to test most of turmerics health benefits, as in how it is best used to access its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antibacterial properties. For my project this year I would like to focus more on how it should be applied to skin, but I will still test how it should be used for its antibacterial properties. Which type of agar plates should I order to do these tests. Can you please reply to the other questions I asked in my first post too if you can.
Thank you JSK

Hey anarhan,

All right, I will try to answer all of these questions!

The type(s) of agar plates that you can use for this experiment really depend on the bacteria that you want to test with. My recommendation is that you go with an agar and bacteria that has frequently been used in other experiments: E.coli with LB (Luria Broth agar), since this is just a plain agar that doesn't select for certain bacteria.

As for mixing black pepper and turmeric, I would mix turmeric and black pepper with water to make a diluted solution, mix it with E.coli, then streak the entire solution in a zig zag pattern on your agar plate(s).

As for these questions:

Are there any other good methods to test turmerics antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other properties?

- In all the previous projects that I've seen where turmeric has been tested, it has mostly been for antibiotic properties, specifically because testing for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties would involve too many factors/variables (or wouldn't be allowed under Science Fair rules). I personally do not know any good methods that specifically test for those properties, so I will ask the Experts for more information on this.

Is this the right project to be doing with turmeric, and what can be a good title for this project.

-Testing the antibiotic properties of turmeric is definitely a good project, but I recommend that you decide how you are going to perform your experiment before deciding on a title (remember, Science Fair judges really like titles that succinctly explain your experiment in dependent & independent variables).

Hope this helped,

JSK