During the experiment, I compared two different foods, ham and wheat bread, to see which of the two would collect more bacteria after being dropped on the floor and being picked up after five seconds. Beforehand, I had done some research and discovered some of the errors the Five Second Rule, such as the fact that bacteria will cling to food immediately. The original plan was to simply drop the food, swab it, and swab the agar on the plate. However, to not only compare the food types and surfaces I decided to also compare the amount of bacteria from just being handled to the amount after being dropped. To do so, I pressed the food item on one side of the petri dish, dropped the item, picked it up, and pressed it against the other side of the plate. After finishing all six plates (plus two controls and a negative control), they were placed in an incubator at 90° Fahrenheit. Due to schedule complications, I could not come see the growth at the ideal times. However, after 74 hours there was still enough bacterial growth to compare each plate. As shown in the photos that were taken at that time, my hypothesis was partially correct.
The original plan was to drop the foods in the girl’s locker room. However, the locker room was unavailable, and the only other option was …show more content…
My hypothesis based on the food type stated that the wet food (meat) would accumulate more bacteria than the dry food (wheat bread), similar to how a wet paper towel will pick up more dirt than a dry one. However, the more dry, porous food ended up collecting more bacteria. On the other hand, my hypothesis based on the surface type was not supported by this experiment. The different surfaces did not significantly affect the bacterial growth, and though the part that stated that only certain foods would apply to the rule was accurate, the core fact was not
The original plan was to drop the foods in the girl’s locker room. However, the locker room was unavailable, and the only other option was …show more content…
My hypothesis based on the food type stated that the wet food (meat) would accumulate more bacteria than the dry food (wheat bread), similar to how a wet paper towel will pick up more dirt than a dry one. However, the more dry, porous food ended up collecting more bacteria. On the other hand, my hypothesis based on the surface type was not supported by this experiment. The different surfaces did not significantly affect the bacterial growth, and though the part that stated that only certain foods would apply to the rule was accurate, the core fact was not