Research- Vinegar and Oil as preservatives

there is also not much information on oil or vinegar preservation. It is simply referred to as pickling These are just a few snippets I found

http://britishfood.about.com/od/introtobritishfood/tp/preservingfood.htm

by: Elaine Lemm last updated: n/a acessed: 10/3/10

Research- Sugar as a Preservative

It was very difficult to find research about sugar alone which was not just repeating the salt research. From this I gathered that they are very similar, apart from their taste.

this article is from http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-salt-and-sugar-preserve-food.htm

By "Michael Anissimov"

Modified: 18/12/09

Accessed: 10/3/10

Research- Salt as a Preservative

This article is from

http://natural-products.suite101.com/article.cfm/salt_as_a_natural_preservative

by Rachel Tsoumbakos

submitted on 14/8/08

date accessed: 10/3/10

Experiment

here is an initial statement of my experiment
Hypothesis- Different preservatives differ in effectiveness, and in which types of decay they are most effective in preventing.

(Rough) Method

1. get 5 apple halves
2. put each in a separate clear container, packing one in salt, one in sugar, immersing one in vinegar, leaving the fourth one as it is, and immersing the fifth one in oil.
3. Over a few weeks, keep a photo diary and documenting types and quantity of decay.
4. Compare results

Independant Variables

• type and size of apples
• whether apples are in similar environment
• whether apples are relatively dry or moist i.e of a similar level of moistness
• whether each apple is covered completely
• whether the apples are exposed to the air or not

Dependant Variables

• the amount of mould/ decay on each apple at the end of the experiment
• the type of mould/ decay on each apple at the end of the experiment

I was thinking of doing a companion experiment comparing different types of bread, and the level of and type of mould. It would go something like this.

Method

1. select 4 different types of bread, each with a different main preservative.
2. put a slice of each in a clear container and seal with clingwrap
3. over a few weeks keep a photo diary documenting types and quantity of decay.

this experiment will obviously undergo some fine-tuning, but:

Independant variables

• amount of difference between bread e.g white/brown, or different types of white
• whether bread is a dry type of bread or a moist type of bread
• whether bread is in a simialar environment
• size of bread slices

Dependant variables

• amount of mould
• type of mould