Bread is a fairly dry food, but there is always some moisture in it, because water is how the "good" mold yeast spreads throughout the loaf and makes it rise. When prospectors, pirates, pioneers and soldiers wanted to preserve bread for days or months, they made sure it was very dry.
Hardtack and dry crackers have very little moisture and withstand the growth of mold. The moister the bread, the faster the mold will spread and grow. Unlike lettuce or grass, molds need no light. In fact, light can retard the growth of mold. Mold on bread grows fastest in dark places.
Although a tight wrapper promotes moisture retention, which encourages mold, airborne mold can spread through the air to land and grow on unwrapped bread.
Like most growing things, many molds prefer warmth and grow faster in warm conditions.. However, there are many kinds of mold that grow well in chilly temperatures. Molding bread serves as a natural clock whether people choose to consciously label it as such.
Obviously, when the bread becomes moldy the consumer is aware that a number of days have passed since the bread had been bought. However, important to note is the number of days since the bread was baked — not simply bought — which must factor into the number of days for mold to take hold.
One strength of molding bread as a natural clock is that it is relatively easy to observe — simply wait until the mold appears. However, most people do not sit around and watch bread grow mold. Thus, molding bread relates to people as a natural clock without really intending to do so. While it is true that bread mold alerts people to the amount of time that has passed since the bread was fresh, the average person would not directly associate the accumulation of mold as a natural clock.
Despite molding bread being an interesting way to look at natural clocks, it is not a scientifically accurate natural clock. This is because of the various factors which must be taken into account. For one, the growth rate of the mold is proportional to the population of mold. At first, the growth rate will be exponential. Later, when the food supply bread begins to exhaust, the growth rate too will slow and eventually stop.
Check the samples daily to see if the growth of mold is different between the 3 pieces. Place each bagged bread sample in a different temperature to see how temperature affects mold. To test mold growth at different temperatures, store 1 sample at room temperature, 1 in the refrigerator, and 1 in the freezer. Remember, to minimize variability, you will want to use the same amount of water for each piece of bread and store the room temperature sample in the dark, as the samples in the fridge and the freezer will mostly be in darkness.
Store each bagged sample in areas with different varying light levels to see how light affects mold. If you want to test whether or not light has an effect on the growth of mold, store samples in different light environments.
Place 1 bag in total darkness and 1 bag in a brightly-lit area. To minimize variability, make sure the temperatures of both environments are the same. Use the same amount of water for each piece of bread as well. Observe your samples daily to check for differences in growth rate and amount. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article?
Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Meredith Juncker, PhD. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 18 Helpful Not Helpful 21 Helpful Lightly moistened bread stored in a warm, dark place should grow mold in about days.
Not Helpful 36 Helpful If you were performing this experiment, you might ask what environment allows the mold to grow fastest? If you did some research, you would see that mold grows best in a warm, damp environment. Knowing this, a testable hypothesis would be: The best environment to grow mold is one that is both warm and damp. Not Helpful 42 Helpful Probably under your sink or in any closet or cabinet. Make sure you put a lock on the cabinet or closet if you have small children or pets that could get into it.
Not Helpful 16 Helpful Not Helpful 29 Helpful The bread is not growing mold at all and it's been 2 weeks. Is there anyway to speed it up? Your bread might have dried up or it was to cold for it to grow. You may want to start over with new bread.
Not Helpful 31 Helpful Light does not affect mold growth in any way, as only temperature, humidity, and nutrition make it possible for mold to grow. Not Helpful 33 Helpful You can take a wet paper towel and put it over the bread in a bag for dampness. Dry bread will eventually grow mold, but it will take much longer.
Not Helpful 15 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Wash your hands after finishing the experiment. Helpful 21 Not Helpful 2. Helpful 19 Not Helpful 3. Dispose of the bread in a sealed container when finished with the experiment.
Helpful 59 Not Helpful DO NOT eat the moldy bread, smell it, or even take it out of the bag indoors. The mold releases tiny spores into the air that may trigger allergies and spread the mold onto surfaces and food that you do not want to grow mold on. Helpful 13 Not Helpful 3. The mold on bread can be highly toxic to dogs. Ensure your dog does not eat mouldy bread or come into contact with plates, dishes etc that mouldy bread has touched.
Helpful 10 Not Helpful 2. Penicillin grown on bread cannot be used to treat illnesses or infections. Helpful 7 Not Helpful 3. Related wikiHows How to. How to.
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