What conditions in the summer kitchen make this experiment particularly easy to conduct at home?
See step 4 of the experiment. There are several factors that influence the growth of mold: high levels of moisture, sugar, darkness, and warm temperatures are all positive growth factors for many microorganisms. In the summer, especially in the Northeastern U.S., the region tends to be humid and hot, which are ideal conditions for microorganism growth, including that of bacteria. • How will you know the difference between bacteria and mold? Answer: See the answer to question #3 on the Bread Bag Nightmare site. Bacteria are microorganisms that are commonly associated with food spoilage in much the same way that mold is. Generally there are two major differences between bacteria and mold: 1) bacterial food spoilage is usually accompanied by a foul odor whereas the presence of mold is not usually accompanied by any smells; 2) bacterial colonies are usually smooth whereas mold colonies are fuzzy, due to the spores growing on the surface of the food. • Think about other types of “healthy” m
