Microban vs. Plastic Chopping Boards

Medium

Do antimicrobial chopping boards really keep bacteria away after cutting raw chicken? Microban polymer boards claim to resist bacteria growth. A side-by-side test with regular plastic boards can put that claim to the test. You scratch and use three plastic and three Microban boards to cut chicken. After washing them with soap and water, you swab each surface and transfer the samples to agar petri dishes. You then count bacteria colonies every day for five days. The colony counts show whether the Microban boards hold fewer bacteria over time.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that Microban chopping boards have less bacteria growing on their surfaces.

Science Concepts Learned

Bacterial Contamination

Bacterial contamination happens when germs from raw chicken get onto surfaces and make them unsafe. In this project, you cut chicken on three plastic and three Microban chopping boards. You then wash the boards, swab each surface, and transfer samples to agar petri dishes. You count bacteria colonies every day for five days.

Food Safety

Keeping germs off surfaces that touch food matters most after handling raw meat. Microban polymer boards claim to resist bacterial growth, so a side-by-side test with regular plastic boards can reveal which surface stays cleaner. You cut chicken on both board types, wash them, then count bacteria colonies on agar petri dishes over five days.

Antimicrobial Surfaces

Antimicrobial surfaces are materials that kill or stop germs from growing on them. Do Microban polymer chopping boards actually hold fewer bacteria than plain plastic ones? To find out, you scratch and use both board types to cut raw chicken. After washing with soap and water, you swab each surface and roll the samples onto agar petri dishes. Colony counts over five days show whether the treated boards resist bacteria growth.

Method & Materials

You will make scratches on the surfaces of 3 plastic and 3 Microban chopping boards, cut up pieces of chicken on them, and then rub a swab on the surface of the chopping boards and roll it over the surface of the Petri dishes.

You will need 6 agar Petri dishes, 6 disinfected swabs, 1 bottle of disinfected water, 3 plastic chopping boards, 3 Microban polymer chopping boards, 1 knife, 6 pieces of chicken, tap water, a piece of soap, and 1 marker pen.

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Results

The results showed that the samples taken from the Microban polymer chopping board had a smaller number of bacteria colonies. This proves that the hypothesis is true.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how Microban polymers can help reduce bacteria growth on surfaces.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include repeating the science project to compare bacteria growth between Microban based products and anti-microbial sprays, or repeating the science project with other Microban based products like a computer keyboard or mouse.