Mold Development and Monsters Within Essay Sample

Introduction  

In the experiment we will be introducing the process and formation of mold; specifically, how mold grows, and bread and which environmental factors show an effect of this growth. Most of us know that when food is not taken care of correctly it can develop a certain smell, taste, or look to ensure we realize that it has gone bad. In these situations, most people just dispose of the food we wasted and buy more or take the mold off. But the fungus that is in some of these food products can actually result in toxins that are very unhealthy for the human body. However, they are finding that bread and the different grains in which they are produced may have an increased risk of passing fungi which produces the mold during production.  In a study on PubMed, they performed a study of sterigmatocystin-- a potentially dangerous fungi found in fungi that infect wheat and other vegetables-- found in grains to produce bread. Surprisingly they results came back at 17% including sterigmatocystin (STC). Especially now it is important to realize the best ways to keep ourselves safe form the potential development of extremely harmful fungi.  

The optimal conditions for mold prevention were found to be at lower temperatures therefore, slowing the mold growth even after being exposed. We know that the formation of mold occurs when the fungus enters the spores of the bread eventually invading our food supplies. However according to sources like the FDA and University of Illinois the best ways to present bread is to keep it in cooler temperatures.  I hypothesize that bread molds at different speeds when temperature is involved and mold spreads faster in warmer temperatures.  

Materials and Methods 

To conduct my experiment, I needed quite minimal sources of materials. This included bread to be able to watch the mold form (or not form) over a period. In this experiment to ensure there was no bias I used the exact same white bread for all the experiment. I also used a camera to take photos of the bread side by side to get a better visual comparison of the molding process before and after the one-month period. To manipulate the temperatures at which my slices were kept at I used my refrigerator, a freezer, a bright sunlight area, and finally a shaded area in my dorm room. These different environments were able to help me manipulate the circumstances at which temperatures the bread was set. The first of my trials were the bread sitting in the shaded region of my room. Without direct sunlight I figured this would be the best way to control a natural temperature of bread and used this as a control for my experiment. The second trial of my experiment was my bread in the freezer-- which I used as a positive control. Finally, my third trial was the bread that sat in direct sunlight for weeks. My independent variable was the head or lack thereof the bread was exposed to while my dependent variable was the amount of mold that grew on each slice of bread.  

Results and Discussion 

For this experiment I originally set the timeline to be around 2 weeks, however with 2 weeks just behind us I believe it may take longer than what I expected. After 15 days I have gotten no clear results from any of my slices of bread. The only difference is the smell between all the breads. While none of the bread has changed color or shows any symptoms of mold, it is apparent that the slice that has been sitting in the sun has a more distinct over sweetened smell compared to the others. Sadly, that data I have so far cannot help me either prove or disprove my results. Given my data is still inconclusive so is my question to whether bread temperature plays a role in the mold buildup process. Personally, I believe that part of this problem was due to the environment that was used during these experiments.  If I had used a heat lamp there may have possibly been more apparent results given the sun cannot shine twenty- four hours a day, therefore changing the temp at which the bread is at. If I were able to redo this experiment, I would have probably chosen a new and easier measurable independent variable rather than temperature, for instance water's effect on mold growth.  

Bibliography 

“Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous?” USDA, Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous? 2013, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/molds-food-are-they-dangerous. 

Veršilovskis, Aleksandrs, and Vadims Bartkevičs. “Stability of Sterigmatocystin during the Bread Making Process and Its Occurrence in Bread from the Latvian Market.” Mycotoxin Research, no. 2, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Feb. 2012, pp. 123–29. Crossref, doi:10.1007/s12550-012-0124-0. 

Davis, Ben. “What Affects Mold Growth on Bread? – MVOrganizing.” MVOrganizing – Knowledge Bank: Quick Advice for Everyone, World Press, 2021, https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-affects-mold-growth-on-bread/. 

About your topics 

Majoring in nutrition, food science is the topic that has the most interest to me. While on campus we have many opportunities to get help and resources when it comes to being food insecure, this is not how it works in other regions of our community and around the world.  If this experience of food spoilage is studied enough and understood by scientists working with food we can better compensate for food storage and save food from going bad.  This will not only help develop better products to safely manage food however it will also give up a better understanding of how food products can make us sick and affect our health. In this experiment, by examining how mold is formed through bacteria around us we will get a better understanding of why we must store food carefully.