Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Conclusion
This study aims to find out if the concentration of vinegar would affect the rate of moulding of a cucumber over a period of time. This links to how much vinegar you can possibly add into your achar dish, so as to preserve them according to the number of shelf life days. Majority of the data shows a trend where cucumbers grow more mould when the concentration of vinegar it is placed in is lower. With the set of data obtained, I can conclude that the concentration of vinegar does affect the rate of moulding of cucumbers over a period of time. The higher the concentration of vinegar, the slower the rate of moulding of the cucumber. Therefore, I can prove that the acidity of the vinegar which is manipulated by the concentration of vinegar plays an important role in the preservation of the cucumbers. This finding therefore proves my hypothesis right!
Pictures of Experimental process
Labelling the containers!
Cuttting the cucumbers into slices of about 2.5cm in diameter and 0.3cm in thickness!
Sunning the cucumber pieces for 26 hours!
Covering the setups with clingwrap so as to maintain high humidity for the cucumber and to prevent contamination of other substances from the surroundings during the period of 10 days!
Cuttting the cucumbers into slices of about 2.5cm in diameter and 0.3cm in thickness!
Sunning the cucumber pieces for 26 hours!
Covering the setups with clingwrap so as to maintain high humidity for the cucumber and to prevent contamination of other substances from the surroundings during the period of 10 days!
Experiment Procedure(:
Step One: Research on the topic of Preservation and Acidity.
Step Two: Using the knife and ruler, cut the Japanese cucumber into 6 slices of about 3cm in diameter and 0.2cm in thickness. Discard slices which are not within the margin of error of 0.1cm.
Step Three: Place each of the 6 slices into the small rounded containers.
Step Four: Leave the slices of cucumbers under the sun and air them for at least 24 hours.
Step Five: Label the 6 containers as different setups, naming them:
Setup A->100% vinegar
-contains 25ml of vinegar and no water
Setup B->80% vinegar
-contains 20ml of vinegar and 5ml of water
Setup C->60% vinegar
-contains 15ml vinegar and 10ml of water
Setup D->40% vinegar
-contains 10ml vinegar and 15ml of water
Setup E->20% vinegar
-contains 5ml vinegar and 20ml of water
Setup F->100% water(control)
-contains 25ml of water and no vinegar
Step Two: Using the knife and ruler, cut the Japanese cucumber into 6 slices of about 3cm in diameter and 0.2cm in thickness. Discard slices which are not within the margin of error of 0.1cm.
Step Three: Place each of the 6 slices into the small rounded containers.
Step Four: Leave the slices of cucumbers under the sun and air them for at least 24 hours.
Step Five: Label the 6 containers as different setups, naming them:
Setup A->100% vinegar
-contains 25ml of vinegar and no water
Setup B->80% vinegar
-contains 20ml of vinegar and 5ml of water
Setup C->60% vinegar
-contains 15ml vinegar and 10ml of water
Setup D->40% vinegar
-contains 10ml vinegar and 15ml of water
Setup E->20% vinegar
-contains 5ml vinegar and 20ml of water
Setup F->100% water(control)
-contains 25ml of water and no vinegar
Consultation session with Miss Tan!
During the consultation session, Miss Tan told me to:
-change my experimental setup by having 6 setups instead of 4 setups only!
-repeat this experiment 3 times. Since my consultation session was scheduled on the last day, there was not enough time to repeat this experiment 3 times one after another. Therefore, I was advised to conduct it simultaneously!
Time to repeat my experiments!
-change my experimental setup by having 6 setups instead of 4 setups only!
-repeat this experiment 3 times. Since my consultation session was scheduled on the last day, there was not enough time to repeat this experiment 3 times one after another. Therefore, I was advised to conduct it simultaneously!
Time to repeat my experiments!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
First 3 days of experiment.
On the first 3 days of experiment, there has been no change in all the cucumbers! I should just wait for the change in surface of the cucumbers soon enough!
3 set ups
For this Concentration experiment, it was to find out if the concentration of vinegar on cucumbers would affect the amount of growth of mould over a period of time. In the photo above,
set up one(far left):
-has 20ml of vinegar added
-has 5ml of water added
set up two(middle):
-has 10ml of vinegar added
-has 15ml of water added
set up three (far right):
-has 25 ml of water added only
Set up Three is the control of this experiment and thus does not have any vinegar added to it. This allows us to compare the other results to this control results, ensuring that the difference in results is due to the changed variable, the concentration of vinegar added, and not other factors.
Process of adding vinegar
As far as possible, I tried adding vinegar and water to the different set ups as fast as possible. This is so that the amount of time in between the adding of liquids would be decreased, making this experiment more fair.
As you can see from the picture above, I used the same containers for all 3 setups so that there would not be another changed variable.
Adding vinegar to the cucumbers!
I used baking measuring spoons to measure the amount of vinegar needed for teach set up.As seen from the picture above, the upper measuring spoon has a capacity of 15ml while the lower measuring spoon only has a capacity of 5ml.
Measuring diameters of cucumber pieces!
In this picture above, cucumbers were measured to have a diameter of 3cm. This ensures that the amount of exposed surface area of the cucumbers are kept the same in different setups as much as possible.
Getting started with my experiment!
As seen from this picture, I cut the Japanese cucumbers using a ruler so as to make sure that the cucumbers are as similar as possible in diameter of circles and thickness of circles. This is so that there would not be another changed variable, decreasing the chance of this factor affecting the results of this experiment, the amount of growth of mould on the cucumbers! The cucumbers were cut and had a diameter of 3cm and thickness of 0.3cm.
Trial Experiment.
I conducted the trial experiment with 3 pieces of normal sized cucumbers with diameters of about 7.6cm.
Improvement: This experiment can be conducted with Japanese cucumbers instead as Japanese cucumbers are greener and mould (white in colour) can be more easily spotted on green surface as compared to a whiter surface.
This experiment was conducted with white vinegar.
Improvement: Instead of white vinegar, which was usually used for the Achar dish, I decided to use Black vinegar on my final experiment instead as Osmosis which occurs when water molecules of the Black vinegar which has a higher water potential enters the cucumber, which has a lower water potential, the black colour which seeps into the cucumber can be easily spotted and white mould which grows will be very easily identified.
This experiment was conducted with cucumbers placed in containers with lids sealed.
Improvement: I realised that when the lids are sealed, dispersal of mould spores would not be able to reach the cucumbers. This will result in little or no growth of mould on any of the cucumbers. Therefore, I decided to place the containers in the same environment but with lids open.
Besides the points stated above, no other changes were made to my experiment.
Improvement: This experiment can be conducted with Japanese cucumbers instead as Japanese cucumbers are greener and mould (white in colour) can be more easily spotted on green surface as compared to a whiter surface.
This experiment was conducted with white vinegar.
Improvement: Instead of white vinegar, which was usually used for the Achar dish, I decided to use Black vinegar on my final experiment instead as Osmosis which occurs when water molecules of the Black vinegar which has a higher water potential enters the cucumber, which has a lower water potential, the black colour which seeps into the cucumber can be easily spotted and white mould which grows will be very easily identified.
This experiment was conducted with cucumbers placed in containers with lids sealed.
Improvement: I realised that when the lids are sealed, dispersal of mould spores would not be able to reach the cucumbers. This will result in little or no growth of mould on any of the cucumbers. Therefore, I decided to place the containers in the same environment but with lids open.
Besides the points stated above, no other changes were made to my experiment.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
SIP Appendix D
APPENDIX D
Science Investigative Project
Project Proposal Form
Name: Victoria Goh ( 30 ) Sec 2/10
Topic of investigation :
Effect of concentration of vinegar on the amount of mould growth on cucumber over time.
Effect of amount of vinegar on the amount of mould growth on cucumber over time.
A Observations made
I noticed that the Indian dish, “A char” which comprised of pickled cucumbers, was a common household delicacy in Singapore. My grandmother often told me that this dish was not only delicious and unique tasting, it could also be kept for a long time without turning mouldy. Therefore being a common sight in our kitchens. I was curious and inquired about the preservation of the cucumbers but none of my family members could provide me with a definite answer. Many replied “I think it is the vinegar in a char.” I witnessed my grandmother making pickled cucumbers and monitored how long a container of pickled cucumbers could last in my fridge and realised it was far longer than what I expected and thus, I decided to conduct this experiment to find out more about the preservation of cucumbers.
B Research Question
Will the concentration of vinegar affect the amount of mould growth on cucumber over 3 weeks?
Will the amount of vinegar affect the amount of mould growth on cucumber over 3 weeks?
C Hypothesis statement
Both the concentration and amount if vinegar would affect the amount of mould growth on cucumber over 3 weeks.
D A short summary of research done on the area of investigation
Pickling is the process of storing something in an acidic solution, usually vinegar(acetic acid). The resulting food is called a pickle. The pH of the vinegar is usually less than 4.6 to make the environment acidic enough to kill most bacteria. Therefore, pickling can preserve food for months. The high acidity level of vinegar killed most bacteria. However, we were not sure if the vinegar solution greatly affected the amount of mould growth on cucumber over time. Thus, I decided to test whether the concentration and amount of vinegar would affect mould growth on cucumber over time. Findings regarding acidity level stated that the lower the pH of an environment, the more micro-organisms are unable to withstand the unsuitable environment, getting killed. Therefore, the concentration of vinegar solution, when varied, may affect the acidity of the solution, resulting in different amount of mould growth. The amount of vinegar solution does not affect the acidity level however, but would most probably not affect the amount of mould growth over a period of time.
E Bibliography (Please refer to RS Students’ Handbook in RS Folder on Inet regarding APA Style Format)
. Wikipedia, Initials. (2011, May 17). Pickling. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickling
Blake, 2010. (2010, - -). Making homemade pickles. Retrieved from http://www.pickyourown.org/makingpickleshtm
Science Investigative Project
Project Proposal Form
Name: Victoria Goh ( 30 ) Sec 2/10
Topic of investigation :
Effect of concentration of vinegar on the amount of mould growth on cucumber over time.
Effect of amount of vinegar on the amount of mould growth on cucumber over time.
A Observations made
I noticed that the Indian dish, “A char” which comprised of pickled cucumbers, was a common household delicacy in Singapore. My grandmother often told me that this dish was not only delicious and unique tasting, it could also be kept for a long time without turning mouldy. Therefore being a common sight in our kitchens. I was curious and inquired about the preservation of the cucumbers but none of my family members could provide me with a definite answer. Many replied “I think it is the vinegar in a char.” I witnessed my grandmother making pickled cucumbers and monitored how long a container of pickled cucumbers could last in my fridge and realised it was far longer than what I expected and thus, I decided to conduct this experiment to find out more about the preservation of cucumbers.
B Research Question
Will the concentration of vinegar affect the amount of mould growth on cucumber over 3 weeks?
Will the amount of vinegar affect the amount of mould growth on cucumber over 3 weeks?
C Hypothesis statement
Both the concentration and amount if vinegar would affect the amount of mould growth on cucumber over 3 weeks.
D A short summary of research done on the area of investigation
Pickling is the process of storing something in an acidic solution, usually vinegar(acetic acid). The resulting food is called a pickle. The pH of the vinegar is usually less than 4.6 to make the environment acidic enough to kill most bacteria. Therefore, pickling can preserve food for months. The high acidity level of vinegar killed most bacteria. However, we were not sure if the vinegar solution greatly affected the amount of mould growth on cucumber over time. Thus, I decided to test whether the concentration and amount of vinegar would affect mould growth on cucumber over time. Findings regarding acidity level stated that the lower the pH of an environment, the more micro-organisms are unable to withstand the unsuitable environment, getting killed. Therefore, the concentration of vinegar solution, when varied, may affect the acidity of the solution, resulting in different amount of mould growth. The amount of vinegar solution does not affect the acidity level however, but would most probably not affect the amount of mould growth over a period of time.
E Bibliography (Please refer to RS Students’ Handbook in RS Folder on Inet regarding APA Style Format)
. Wikipedia, Initials. (2011, May 17). Pickling. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickling
Blake, 2010. (2010, - -). Making homemade pickles. Retrieved from http://www.pickyourown.org/makingpickleshtm
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Deciding On My SIP Research Project.
Possible experiments that I could conduct:
1) Effect of temperature on rate of growth of bread mould
2) Effect of acidity of soil in rate of growth of bean sprouts
3) Effect of carbonated drinks on the rate of growth of mould on cucumber
Why these experiments were not chosen to be conducted finally?
1) This experiment is very generic and simple. The complexity of this experiment is very low, as if a Primary School Science Experiment. Many people have conducted this experiment and the results are obvious, which is that as the temperature of surrounding increases, the rate of growth of bread mould increases till it reaches a certain temperature(too high) and stops.
2) This experiment is too simple though it incorporates biochemistry.
3) This experiment, as stated by my teacher, does not relate to real-life process. It is unpractical as no one would place cucumbers into carbonated water to test for rate of growth of mould. Therefore, not a good experiment. However, it could be slightly modified in order for it to relate to a real-life practice. In this case, it is "a-char".
MODIFYING THE THIRD EXPERIMENT.
"A-char" is a chinese dish made of pickled cucumbers. Cucumbers are placed in vinegar solution and left aside for hours. Then, left to sun for about 1h. The pickles are already preserved and can be stored for a fairly long period of time. Therefore, I would like to test whether the concentration of vinegar would affect the amount of growth of mould on the cucumber over time. Another experiment that I can conduct is whether the amount of vinegar would affect the amount of growth of mould on the cucumber over time.
1) Effect of temperature on rate of growth of bread mould
2) Effect of acidity of soil in rate of growth of bean sprouts
3) Effect of carbonated drinks on the rate of growth of mould on cucumber
Why these experiments were not chosen to be conducted finally?
1) This experiment is very generic and simple. The complexity of this experiment is very low, as if a Primary School Science Experiment. Many people have conducted this experiment and the results are obvious, which is that as the temperature of surrounding increases, the rate of growth of bread mould increases till it reaches a certain temperature(too high) and stops.
2) This experiment is too simple though it incorporates biochemistry.
3) This experiment, as stated by my teacher, does not relate to real-life process. It is unpractical as no one would place cucumbers into carbonated water to test for rate of growth of mould. Therefore, not a good experiment. However, it could be slightly modified in order for it to relate to a real-life practice. In this case, it is "a-char".
MODIFYING THE THIRD EXPERIMENT.
"A-char" is a chinese dish made of pickled cucumbers. Cucumbers are placed in vinegar solution and left aside for hours. Then, left to sun for about 1h. The pickles are already preserved and can be stored for a fairly long period of time. Therefore, I would like to test whether the concentration of vinegar would affect the amount of growth of mould on the cucumber over time. Another experiment that I can conduct is whether the amount of vinegar would affect the amount of growth of mould on the cucumber over time.
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