Prolong the Produce

Overview

Objectives/Goals My goal was to find the best environment to keep produce that usually goes bad quickly edible for long periods of time to save money, stop food waste, and help families use the food they paid for. Methods/Materials The materials I needed were some raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, green onions, mushrooms, cilantro, and beansprouts, 9 large Tupperware containers, 9 small air tight containers with twelve sections, a refrigerator, supplies to clean and dry produce (desiccant packages-hygrometers and thermometers, paper towels). Results Room temperature environments were least effective while cold and dry environments kept fruit the best. Warm and wet environments kept vegetables the longest. Dry and 2.7 degrees Celsius kept the white mushrooms the longest. Conclusions/Discussion It was a different environment to keep the produce the best but the dryness didn't let the fruits go mushy and kept them in shape, while the wetness let the vegetables stay hydrated, transpire, and respire. The coldness of the refrigerator slowed down the activity of any bad bacteria and bad microorganisms that speed up the process of mold.

Awards (1)

• First Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2017 Product Science (Biological) (Junior Division Only) · Entry J2002

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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