Lemon-Aid

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective is to find a solution to the large amounts of bacteria found in reused water bottles by determining if 4 millimeters of lemon juice will significantly inhibit the bacterial growth in water in reused water bottle Methods/Materials Twenty-three grams of dehydrated nutrient agar were prepared for used and poured into 12 petri dishes. After 24 hours, the lemon was cut in half. The lemon halves were squeezed into a bowl. All fourteen of the refresh# water bottles were emptied out and refilled with tap water. A dropper was used to add 4 milliliters of lemon juice into half of the water bottles. All of the bottles were shaken. After 5 hours, 12 unused droppers were used to transfer a 2-milliliter sample from each water bottle into the petri dishes. The droppers were used only once each to prevent cross-contamination. The observations of bacterial growth were recorded each day by the diameter and color. Results During the first day, there was no bacteria growth, but during the second and third days, the lemon water had less bacteria than the regular water. For seven out of the eight last days, the lemon water had more bacteria than the regular water. Conclusions/Discussion My conclusion is that 4 milliliters of lemon juice do not significantly inhibit bacterial growth in the water in reused water bottles. Even though lemon water does not completely stop bacterial growth in water, based on the results of the first few days, lemon juice may have a short-term effect on bacterial growth.

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Microbiology (Medical) (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1609

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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