which cheese molds the
fastest?
By:Trana C. Rozier
7th Grade 3rd Block
Purpose
The purpose of my experiment is to see which
cheese would mold the fastest in different
substances?
hypothesis
I think the swiss cheese with water would
mold the fastest because water is a factor of
supporting mold. Also swiss contains little
moisture so if i add moisture it would mold
faster.
variables
Independent variable- water, milk, dish
detergent and vegetable oil
Dependent variable- the amount of mold
spores on the cheese.
control-Same temperature, same air, cheese,
same containers, same light and same time
observed.
Background research Part one These are the basic steps of cheese making. First process
the milk by running it through a machine that will pasteurize
After the mold is done with this process the spores get caught the milk and pump it into huge metal containers. Next
in any air current and land on something new and start the separate the curd. Then thread the curd. Next let the
process over. Some molds also have a stalk called a cheese ripen. Mold is what ripens the cheese. Finally
sporangiophore used for reproducing. Mold can grow almost package the cheese. You dont want any unknown mold in
anywhere on land or sea. Mold needs a warm dark place to the package or it will spoil the cheese. Changing this
grow. If mold gets too much sunlight then the mold will not be process slightly will result in many different kinds of
able to reproduce. Some molds to grow in sunlight, like the cheese. Cheese has lots of milks value, like proteins,
molds that kill wheat, oats, roses, and other plants. minerals, and vitamins. Cheese has milk's nutrients but in
concentrate form. Here are the different textures of cheese.
Soft, Semi Soft, Hard, and very hard. The amount of
moisture determines the classification. More moisture the
softer the cheese, less moisture the harder the cheese.
American cheese has the most amount of moisture and its
the softest cheese so it will produce more mold. Swiss is a
hard cheese so it doesnt have very much moister. With
very little moisture mold doesnt grow as well. Cheddar is
also pretty hard but not as hard as the Swiss so it has a
little more moisture.
Background Info part two
Summary BIBLIOGRAPHY
In America people love cheese and its Ammirati, Joe F., "Mold", World Book Encyclopedia, 1995, pp.
689-690
important to keep cheese mold-free. Its
important because if cheese gets moldy and you Ashe, Arthur J., 111, "Fermentation", World Book IBM, 1998
eat it, it could make you sick. Cheese
manufactures use sterilized machines and Carter, Joseph L., et al., Life Science, Boston, Massachusetts, Ginn
and Company, 1971
air-tight packaging so the mold cant get to the
cheese. Some cheeses are ripened by special Gray, William D., What we Find When we Look at Molds, New York,
molds but you dont want unknown mold in the Mcgraw-Hill Book Company, 1970
package. In order to keep cheese mold free at
Marshall, Robert T., "Cheese", World Book Encyclopedia, 1995, pp.
your house put the cheese in an airtight zip-lock
392-394
bag after you opened the original cheese
package. Mitchell, Elliott, "Mold", Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1995
"Mold", The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1993
Materials
Five slices of swiss 100% cheese
Five containers with lids that match
Dish detergent
water
vegetable oil
Milk
Pipette(optional)
Pen/pencil
Index cards or sticky notes
Tape(optional)
Disposable gloves
1. Gather all materials.
procedure
2. Label the containers with index cards or sticky notes numbered 1,2,3,4 and 5.
3. Place all Five containers on a flat stable surface with lids next to them.
4. Place one slice of cheese in each container.
5. Put two drops of the designated liquid in its designated container.
6. Do not put any liquid in container number 5.
7. Put the lid on all five containers and make sure they're sealed tightly.
8. Put the Five containers on a flat surface in the temperature of 68 to 73
degrees.
9. Make sure its in a dimed place.
10. Record data every day at 6O clock for two weeks and make sure you use gloves
when youre opening the container.
Liquids that was used to determine which will help cheese to spoil.
(Water , Vegetable Oil, Milk, Dish Detergent)
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Friday Saturday Sunday
7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th
Week 1 Water
Veg. Oil
Milk
Dish Det.
14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
week 2 Water
Veg. Oil
Milk
Dish Det.
21th 22th 23th 24th 25th 26th 27th
week 3 Water
Veg. Oil
Milk
Dish Det.
Conclusion
My hypothesis stated that the swiss cheese
with water would mold the fastest because
water is a factor of supporting mold. Also
swiss contains little moisture so if i add
moisture it would mold faster. My hypothesis
was approved because the swiss cheese with
water molded first and fast.
references
Pictures
N/
A
Dish
det.
Milk
Veg.
oil
H
2
0
