Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I need to test the pesticides in organic vs. conventional foods, as well as other factors to prove my hypothesis that organic food is generally healthier. Can you help me come up with a procedure? My experiment is due in early January. I would greatly appreciate some assistance! : )

A 7th grader

Update: Just looking to test pesticides in produce.

so what's the problem? should this video be? or just a report

Hi!

This sounds like a great project! I can provide some guidance in formulating your procedure. I think there are two ways you can approach your question:

1) Test the effects of the pesticides. We know that the goal of pesticides and fertilizers is to allow for the food to last longer. Given that statement, we can assume that conventional produce would have a larger lifespan than organic produce. You can test this by leaving whole or cut pieces of fruit in similar places, and observing their appearance (mold, browning) over time.

2) Testing for the presence of pesticides. Something we can also do is actually test for the pesticides themselves. There are many kits online that can be used to test for pesticides in water. Since we want to test for pesticides on food, you could try washing the food in water and then testing that water for pesticide presence. Here are a few links to a potential kit you could use!

https://www.amazon.com/PRO-LAB-Pesticid ... B000DZHBH2
https://www.amazon.com/Drinking-Water-T ... B01DMF8SH6

Some testing kits also look for other variables in addition to pesticides. If you want to include this as part of your procedure, make sure to use distilled water and test the water by itself to act as a control. You can also look around for other test kits that you can use! Let me know any additional questions that you may have!

Thanks, Probiotics

Thanks @Probiotics! I will definitely use this. Could you tell me how the experiment might be carried out? Is there some sort of process that would be good to follow?

Hi!

When it comes to the experimental procedure, there are three values we must consider: independent variable, dependent variable, and controls. In your experiment, the dependent variable would be the presence of pesticides, the presence of other water toxins, and how long the food can survive without getting moldy. The independent variable would be the type of fruit - either organic or conventional.

In your experiment, a control is important because it helps ensure that the results we measure are correlated to the independent variable instead of being correlated to something else. I would recommend for your project to start out with a selection of food - some fruits and some vegetables. Now, you have four groups of test subjects: organic fruit, organic veggies, conventional fruit, and conventional veggies.

For the pesticide kit, you must wash each food item in a specific amount of distilled water for a specific amount of time. If you wear gloves while washing, make sure you wear gloves for each trial. Make sure the setup is the same for each food item to eliminate extra variables. For your control, just wash your hands (with or without gloves depending on your setup) in the distilled water. Then, test the water for all trials and record your results.

For the longevity test, all you need to do is to ensure that the food items are placed in areas with a similar climate and lighting, as that may influence the properties of the food items. Every few days, check up on your subjects and record what percentage of the surface appears to be healthy. Over time, this percentage should reduce.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks, Probiotics

This is terrific, Probiotics! I truly appreciate your assistance with this project, and I will use these methods in my experiment.