Mold Growth

The Effects of Moisture on the Mold Growth in a slice of bread.

Purpose: This lab was an investigation on how moisture contributed to the mold growth in a slice of bread.

Hypothesis: If the level of moisture in the bread increases , then the mold growth will intensify , since mold feeds off of moisture

Introduction

Mold is a microscopic organism. Mold is a part of fungi kingdom. The fungi kingdom consists of mold , mildew and mushrooms. The fungi kingdom is often confused with the plant kingdom. Since the characteristics are very similar. For example, both species use chloroplast to gain energy. Also fungi have similar characteristics to animals. Fungi have cell walls made up of chitin. Chitin are hard substance that makes up of exo-skeleton

You must add water to the Petri dishes because it is a neutral liquid substance that fungi are attracted to. In order for fungi to reproduce or kick-start moisture must be added to Petri dishes, "In the watery solution inside mold cells are proteins called "enzymes" which direct the biochemical processes of the cell"(Shepherd,1997). In the experiment , the bread was simply wiped on a dusty surface ( i.e. floor or desk) , in order for the dust or dirt to turn into fungi , water substance had to be added for reproduction and kick start purposes..

3) Did the mould cells undergo reproduction during the experiment? Explain your answer.

Mold cells can undergo reproduction in two ways , asexually and sexually. When a fungi reproduces a sexual , the DNA splits and makes clones. In this experiment , mold cells undergo a asexual reproduction through multiple or increase space of blue , black color or fuzz on the bread. Mold cells can undergo reproduction sexually , " When conditions are right , specialized hyphae from two compatible individuals fuse."(Wearing, 2010). This results in , a production of a individual spore with DNA from both. The spore has walls which are thick and very decorated surface with spikes and ridge (Wearing, 2010)) The spore is called zygospore which comes from the word , Zygomycota. Zygomycota is a way of sexual reproductions for pin molds. Therefore,

A major reason why it is important to throw away foods that has gone moldy is because the foods now contain mycotoxins ("The Risks of Eating Mouldy Foods"). Mycotoxins can affect both animals and humans. Consuming that has gone moldy can cause respiratory issues , allergic reaction symptoms, depression nervous-system disorders and depression((Dr. Edward , 2009).

2) Describe a situation in your own life where you found that food had gone moldy. Your description should include where, how long, and under what conditions the food was store.

When I was the age of six , I was very irresponsible with my lunch. I was also very forgetful as well ,which caused me to leave my lunch in my cubby over the winter break. The classroom had an automatic heater that stayed on 24/7. When I came back from the Christmas break , there was a foul smell coming from my cubby. The turkey sandwich I had turned into a combination of blue , green fuzz sandwich. The reason why the mold intensified was the temperature and moisture of the