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Food Science Science Fair Project

Germ Contamination Comparison

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Germ Contamination Comparison | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
We're going to compare the contamination of wet and dry food by swabbing different surfaces and counting the number of bacteria colonies.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the slice of cucumber will be most prone to germ contamination.

Method & Materials

You will store the Petri dishes in a refrigerator, label them, wear sterilized gloves, wash the cucumber and cheese crackers, and drop a slice of cucumber and a piece of cheese cracker into different locations. You will then swab the surfaces and count the number of bacteria colonies after three days.
You will need 8 agar Petri dishes, 80 disinfected swabs, a bottle of disinfected water, a box of cheese crackers, a cucumber, a knife, a chopping board, a box of sterilized rubber gloves, a stopwatch, and 2 sterilized plastic bags.

Results

The results showed that the Petri dishes swabbed with samples from the cucumber slices had more bacterial growth spots than the Petri dishes swabbed with samples from the cheese crackers. This supports the hypothesis that cucumbers (wet food) are more prone to contamination by germs.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how germs can spread and how important it is to practice good hygiene.

Also Consider

Variations of this science project include repeating the experiment in other locations such as the school or park, and trying it with other types of food such as jelly, apples, and candies.

Full project details

You can find additional information and details for this science fair project here. Have fun exploring!

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