Would you be interested in doing a science experiment?Making mold grow on bread is a great project for the local science fair and teaches the ins-and-outs of keeping bread fresh.You'll have a furry green sandwich that will impress your classmates and gross out your friends with a bit of heat, humidity, and time.
Step 1: The materials to gather are necessary.
You will need a slice of bread, a sealable plastic bag, spray bottle, and water to grow mold on bread.You can use any type of bread, but be aware that store-bought bread will take longer to grow mold.mold will grow faster if there is fresh bread.An easy way to evenly coat bread is with a spray bottle.Before starting the experiment, fill the spray bottle with water.If you don't have a plastic bag, you can use a sealable clear container.You want it to be clear so you can see the growth of the mold.You will need to throw away the old plastic or glass jar at the end of the experiment.
Step 2: The bread will be sprayed with water.
The piece of bread should be lightly sprayed with mist.You don't want the bread to be soaked, you just want to give the mold some water to grow.One spray is all it takes.Placing a wet paper towel in a plastic bag with bread is an alternative method for keeping the environment moist.The piece of bread has some water on it.The bread should be sprayed on the inside of the bag.
Step 3: The bread needs to be sealed in a bag.
Wrap your piece of bread in a plastic bag.You should keep this bag sealed for the rest of the experiment to prevent mold from growing on the bread.If you have allergies, you might not want to do this experiment.
Step 4: The bread needs to be stored in a warm area.
In warm environments, mold thrives.Store sealed bread in a warm place in your home.You have supplied enough water for the bread to grow.The mold doesn't need sunlight to make food.It gets food from the bread by breaking it down into smaller sugars.This is the reason mold can grow in dark areas.
Step 5: See the mold growth.
Track the growth of mold by making daily observations of your bread.It will take around 7 to 10 days for you to see the growth on the bread.Depending on the type of bread you used, you could see growth within 5 days.Fresh bread will mold quicker than store-bought bread.Start with a piece of bread that is wet instead of adding water to it.allergic reactions and respiratory problems can be caused by mold.There are mycotoxins in some mold that can cause neurological problems or even death.
Step 6: Don't eat the bread.
The sealed container should be thrown in the garbage when you are done watching the mold grow.Don't open the bag.Your environment is not good for your health if you open the bag.After handling the bag, wash your hands.
Step 7: Make a lot of samples of moistened bread.
You will need multiple samples to test for mold.You need to make as many pieces of bread as you can.Place them in a bag.If you want to test different temperatures, make 3 samples.Predicting what will happen before each experiment is important.Make a hypothesis about how quickly the mold will grow.Do you think there will be more or less mold at the end of the experiment?
Step 8: If you want to see how mold is affected by the amount ofMoisture on each slice of bread, you need to vary theMoisture.
Keep the temperature and amount of light the same, but add different levels of water.There are three ways to have a slice with no moisture, one that is just damp, and one soaked in water.If the growth of mold is different between the 3 pieces, check the samples daily.
Step 9: If you want to see how temperature affects mold, place each bread sample in a different temperature.
If you want to test mold growth at different temperatures, store the sample in the refrigerator, freezer, and room temperature.To minimize variability, you will want to use the same amount of water for each piece of bread and store the room temperature sample in the dark.If you want to see which piece of bread grows the fastest, check each sample daily.
Step 10: Store each bag in areas with different light levels to see how light affects mold.
Store samples in different light environments if you want to test the effect of light on mold growth.Place one bag in total darkness and the other in a bright area.Make sure the temperatures of both environments are the same.The same amount of water is used for each piece of bread.You won't know whether the growth rate is due to the light, water, or the temperature if the amount of water and temperature is also different.Check your samples daily for differences in growth rate and amount.