A spray bottle is not entirely necessary, but it is an easy way to evenly coat the bread in a fine mist of water. Fill the spray bottle with water before beginning the experiment. If you don’t have a plastic bag, you can replace it with some other sealable clear container. You want it to be clear so you can observe the mold growth and sealable to contain the mold. An old plastic or glass jar would also work, but you’ll need to throw it away at the end of the experiment.
Placing a wet paper towel in the plastic bag with the bread. Sprinkling some water over the top of the piece of bread. Spraying the inside of the bag instead of directly on the bread.
If you have allergies, you might not want to do this experiment as it may cause you difficulty.
Mold is a heterotroph, so it does not need sunlight to create food. It gets food from the bread itself in the form of starch which is broken down into smaller sugars. This is why mold often grows in dark, damp areas such as basements. [5] X Research source
If you notice the bread has dried out, start over with a wetter piece of bread instead of adding water to the bread. Mold spores can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. Some mold contains mycotoxins which can cause neurological problems or even death.
Wash your hands every time after you have handled the bag.
For example, if you want to test 3 different temperatures, make 3 samples. Before each experiment, make some predictions about what will happen. Make a hypothesis about how quickly the mold will grow under each condition. Write down whether you think there will be more or less mold for each condition at the end of the experiment.
Check the samples daily to see if the growth of mold is different between the 3 pieces.
Remember, to minimize variability, you will want to use the same amount of water for each piece of bread and store the room temperature sample in the dark, as the samples in the fridge and the freezer will mostly be in darkness. [8] X Research source Check each sample daily and see which piece of bread grows the most mold the fastest.
To minimize variability, make sure the temperatures of both environments are the same. Use the same amount of water for each piece of bread as well. If the amount of water and temperature is also different, you won’t know whether the difference in growth rate is due to the light, water, or the temperature. Observe your samples daily to check for differences in growth rate and amount.
