October 14

Mold

In fifth grade we performed an experiment to determine the best environment for mold growth. For Mrs. Pannek’s class, I purchased inexpensive white bread from the grocery store. We dropped water on the bread slices and sealed each slice in a Ziploc bag. Then each group placed the bread on the counter, in a cabinet and in the refrigerator. Each student formed his/her hypothesis and then we waited and waited.  Mrs. McElroy’s class did the same experiment, but I changed a variable and purchased white bread from Harvest Bread Company. After a month, there isn’t any evidence of mold on the bread in Mrs. Pannek’s class. It took almost three weeks, but the bread from the Harvest Bread Company began to mold in the cabinet and on the counter. The bread in the refrigerator still has no mold growth. We had a discussion about preservatives and discovered that calcium propionate was added to the white bread from Kroger’s to prevent mold growth.

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White Bread from Kroger

White bread from Harvest Bread Company

White Bread from Harvest Bread Company

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