Home
Elementary
Middle School
Biology Projects
Chemistry Projects
Earth Science Projects
Physics Projects
How to
Science Dictionary
Links & Articles
Resources
Science blog
Submit your project
Contact us

There is something green on my bread!
A biology project



This biology project is not for the faint hearted. Green stuff growing on your bread is sometimes not a pretty site. But it is the green stuff that we are going to look at. Yup, mold. Yummy!!

What is fascinating about mold is that it just appears. One day your food is good to eat, the next it ain't. But why (and how) does it just appear?



This biology project is going to look at these questions and with the newly learned info from this investigation, you are going to look at how to prevent your bread from going green and so be able to eat the whole loaf before it changes color!

The project – step by step

Let us stop for a second ... and think about what mold is.

Mold is a living organism. As in all living organisms, it needs certain things to survive and grow. What exactly do organisms need to survive?

  • Food (Everything needs food, whether they make it themselves, like plants, or get it somewhere else, like animals, mold and humans do.)
  • Water (No life, as we know it, can exist without water – that is why they are looking for evidence of water on Mars. If they find that, there may be a chance to find life!)
  • Light (Plants need light – mold does not – neither do we.)
  • The right temperature (Plants and animals need a certain temperature that they survive in best – polar bears like it cold, African elephants do not. What temperature does mold like, I wonder?)
  • Air (again, this varies between organisms. Plants like a lot of CO2 in their air, while us humans need a little oxygen. Some bacteria can't survive if any oxygen is present – go figure! Either way, some type of gas is needed.)

    I think that is about it. Change one of these for any particular organism, and hey presto, it dies. Now that sounds depressing – but we can use that info to save our food from being changed to that horrible green color.

    So we have established that mold does not need light. The other things it does need is food, water, air and the right temperature. So what we got to do is find out what it likes and then to keep it away from our food make sure it does not get those things – right!

    Let's do science...

    The Question
    Can mold be prevented from growing on food?

    The Hypothesis
    Mold needs certain things and conditions in order to grow. By removing those things and changing the conditions it enjoys growing in, it can be prevented from growing.

    The Experiments

  • Growing smelly fluff!!
  • Say no to mold! Water
  • Say no to mold! Air
  • Say no to mold! Temperature

    Why these experiments?
    The first experiment in this biology project will show you how mold grows and where it comes from. In the rest of the experiments, you will find out what things and conditions mold needs in order to grow, and what happens if you take them away or change them.

    Obviously, you cannot take the food away, that is what you are trying to save so that you can eat it! But everything else can be changed or controlled.

    The Conclusion
    By changing the conditions and taking the things needed for mold to grow away, you can prevent it from ruining your food.

    “Beef up your project” facts

    When you think mold and fungi, you probably think rotten food and smelly decaying stuff that lurks at back corner of the fridge, forgotten by all humans until it is ready to be discovered and totally gross you out! Right?

    Well, let me fill you in on something to brighten your day. Many foods rely on molds to get their specific taste.

    One example – Roquefort cheese. Pop a piece of the green stuff that lines this cheese under a microscope and you will see some mold waving back at you. Don't believe me – I dare you to try it out!

    Although this biology project specifically looks at how to prevent mold ruining food, the project can be made more interesting by also looking at how molds can make foods - such as the example above. It is worth putting in the extra effort - the judges will be impressed with your lateral thinking!!

    Look it up

  • Do a little research into how sailors in the old days kept meat from going off. Compare those days to food preservation today.
  • Do some research into food preservatives. This can be a biology project by itself! Have a look at the good and the bad side of this part of the food industry.
  • In “Beef it up” facts I introduced you to moldy cheese. Lighten up your project by finding out about some other food types that rely on mold to give a specific taste.

    More...

    Check out another biology project from Good-Science-Fair-Projects.com.

    footer for biology project page

    		•