Mold Growth on Bread

Purpose

• The purpose of this experiment is to find out if more ingredients (chemicals) keep bread mold-free longer than chemical-free bread.

Hypothesis

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• If three different types of bread are put in the same place for a month, then the natural homemade bread and the natural store-made bread will mold faster than Wonder bread because the natural bread is free of nasty preservatives, which will keep the bread mold-free longer.

Independent Variable

Dependent Variable

Procedures

• Make homemade bread
• Buy a store-made bread (minimally processed)
• Buy highly-processed bread, such as Wonder
• Put each slice into its own container
• Spritz with water every 2 days for the first week to encourage mold growth
• At the end of 1 month, count mold colonies

Controlled Variables

Materials

• 3 types of bread
• 3 airtight plastic containers
• water spritzer
• mold log

Results

• Homemade: Completely covered so counting was not possible.
• Wonder: 9 colonies of mold
• Store-Made:1 blob of mold

bread at start

bread in middle

bread at end

Conclusion

• My hypothesis was not supported.
• As it turns out, the most processed bread molded more than the minimally processed bread (store-made).
• I expected the highly processed bread to barely mold or not mold at all. As expected, the homemade bread molded the most.

Next Time

• If I were to do this experiment again I would have added one more type of highly processed bread, such as a McDonald's hamburger bun
• I would vary the location of the bread by putting each type in a cold dark location, as well as a light, warm one.

Bibliography

• "Why Does Bread Get Moldy?"http://www.wisegeek.org/why-does-bread-get-moldy.htm. Jan. 11, 2016
• "What are the Different Types of Bread Preservatives." http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-bread-preservatives.... Jan. 11, 2016
• "Which Bread Molds the Fastest?" http://www.education.com/science-fair/article/which-bread-mold-grows-fastes.... Jan. 11, 2016