Aim :

To determine which cheese grows mold fastest: cheddar cheese ,mozzarella cheese or
slize cheese
What are molds

Molds are microscopic fungi that live on plant or animal matter. They can be found

indoors and outdoors and are part of our natural environment.

They play an important role in the environment by breaking down and digesting organic

material. Also called fungi or mildew, molds are neither plants nor animals; they are part

of the kingdom Fungi.

Molds can multiply by producing microscopic spores similar to the seeds produced by

plants. Many spores are so small they easily float through the air and can be carried for

great distances by even the gentlest breezes.

Molds come in many colors including white. "Black mold" is not a species or specific

kind of mold, and neither is "toxic mold."

Where are molds found

Molds are very common in buildings and homes. Mold will grow in places with a lot of

moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been

flooding.

Mold grows well on paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood products.

Mold can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric,

and upholstery.
How does mold grow on cheese

Mold grows on cheese when it is placed in a badly ventilated or moist area. Mold spores

are airborne all around us, invisible to the naked eye. And if one spore makes it onto a

piece of cheese, it can begin to reproduce rapidly and feed off of the cheese.

The amount of mold that grows on cheese depends on the type of cheese as well.

There are soft, semi soft, semi hard or hard cheeses produced, and the softer the

cheese, the quicker the chances it can grow mold. Most soft cheeses are more

watery, and are also the freshest cheeses, and will facilitate more growth if it

comes into contact with mold.

Mold reproduces via the production of small spores . These spores can be compared to the

seeds of a plant, though they are much smaller than seeds or even pollen grains.

Their small size makes them easy to disperse via wind and water. They can also travel

long distances by clinging on to clothing or fur.

Mold spores can survive environments that don’t support normal mold growth . They will

only start to grow once they land in an environment with suitable water, food,

temperature, and oxygen.

Unlike plants’ use of photosynthesis to harness energy, molds (and all fungi) rely on

organic matter to provide energy. Mold grows on the materials it can digest.
THEORY

Factors :

Temperature : Most molds cannot grow below 40° F. This is why food is typically

refrigerated at 39° F. Mold grows best between 77 F and 86 F, especially if the air is

humid.

Water ; Molds thrive in damp, humid, and wet conditions. They require water to grow and

spread, which is why it is recommended to keep homes – especially walls and carpets – as

dry as possible. Water leaks, flooding, high humidity, and condensation all provide

moisture mold can use to grow and spread.

Materials required :

samples of Cheddar, slize cheese ,mozarilla cheese

knife

cutting board

centimeter ruler

thermometer

sterile swabs

paper toweling or blotting paper

rubber gloves, apron or shirt as lab coatsanitizer such as dilute liquid bleach.
Oxygen :Molds are obligate aerobes . This means that they need oxygen to survive.

Mold grows even at very low concentrations of oxygen, however, which

makes it difficult to fight mold growth by limiting oxygen.

Food : Mold grows on materials that it can digest – and it can digest a lot. It can

metabolize virtually any organic (carbon containing )matter in nature, making it

impossible to remove all food sources of mold from your environment.

Types of molds :

Some fungi can get all of the nutrition they need to grow by developing on cheese.

Mold types of the family Penicillium, which produce blue-green spores that give

the mold its color

Most types of Penicillium are harmless and, in fact, are often used to give the Blue

Cheeses their color and flavor, so they are very safe to eat.

Aspergillus :


Aspergillus: Aspergillus is one of the most common molds. You can find its spores

virtually everywhere – from Antarctic soil and the interior of spacecraft to homes

throughout the USA

Found both inside and outside homes, this mold often grows on painted surfaces, wood,

many types of paneling, painted masonry (including brick and masonry block), and poured

concrete foundations.

Penicillium :

Penicillium: Another common type of mold, Penicillium also thrives both

inside and outside of the home. It commonly infests vinyl, paneling,

wood, painted masonry, and poured concrete foundations.

 Cladosporum :

Cladosporium: This mold is one of the most common types of mold found on external

surfaces of buildings. Cladosporium may colonize vinyl siding, glass surfaces,

windows, many types of wood, and paneling.

 trichoderma.

Trichoderma : Trichoderma is less common than the first three types of mold.

Its infrequency is in part because it require more moisture than the others.

This mold grows on untreated lumber, pine wood and boards, decaying wood, and textiles.

No matter what mold is on your exterior surfaces, it’s important to remove it swiftly

and thoroughly. This will reduce damage to the materials and structures that mold

grows on.
Procedure :

Gather all materials.

Put on safety glasses, apron and rubber gloves.

Clean the surface that will be working on with a dilute solution of bleach and water.

Set up the dishes into 4 sets of two labeling them with specimen numbers such as# 1 and

#2 will contain Cheddar, #3 and #4 will contain Slize ,# 5 and #6 will be mozarilla etc.

Set up 4 dishes, each of which will contain a sample of each cheese to serve as a

control and label them.

Cut the paper toweling to fit the dishes, line the dishes with the paper and soak each of

the papers with a medicine dropper of water.

Slice all the cheeses into equal segments and place them in the labeled dishes and in the

controls.

Store the dishes in a warm place (75-80 degrees F) and in a dark place, a drawer or in a

closed box.

Observe, measure and record the growth of the mold using your centimeter ruler on a

daily basis for one weeks.

To make sketches of the observations and /or take photos of the mold growth to

substantiate the observations.

Graph the data. A graph presents an instant picture of the findings.

Observation :
 Cheddar cheese :

Mozarilla cheese :
One week period of time under warm place and in a dark place

cheeses were observed. Above images are the result .

Conclusion :

Molds appear in cheddar and mozarilla cheese . No molds are observed in

slize cheese .

On 5th day molds begin to appear in cheddar chesse and on 7th day molds

appear in mozarilla chesse .

Green and black colour observed in cheddar cheese and red colour

observed in mozarilla cheese .

Green colour mold is caused by aspergillus fungi and red colour mold is

caused by clathrus ruber fungi .

Chedd
ar cheese grows mold the fastest .
Bibliography :

Ammirati, Joe F. “Mold,” World Book Encyclopedia, 2002.

Edelman, E. and Grodnick, S. The Ideal Cheese Book, 1986.

Facts about mold . December 8, 2004.

www.answers.com/topic/cheese.
OBSERVATION

Time Mold Color of Coverag Notes

(Days Appearanc Mold e Area
) e (%)
0 None N/A 0 Fresh
sample
1 Minimal White 5 Small
spots
observed
3 Moderate White 15 More
spots,
some
growth
5 Significant Green/ 30 Clear
White growth
on
surface
7 Heavy Green/Black 50 Dense
patches
formed
10 Very Heavy Black 75 Almost
fully
covered
14 Maximum Black/Green 100 Complet
e
coverage,
strong
odor