Perfect Produce

Science FairBiology, Period 3

Big Question:

My big question for my experiment is: “Do Debbie Meyer Green Bags prolong the life of fruits and vegetables?”

Hypothesis:

My hypothesis is if produce is placed in Debbie Meyer Green Bags, then they will prolong the life of produce. The green bags will lengthen the life of the produce because the bags absorb and release ethylene gas.

Interesting Facts:

Bags are reusable 8 to 10 timesActive ingredient is a natural mineral called OyaDebbie Meyer Green Bags used to be called Evert Fresh Green Bags.Debbie Meyer Green Bags are available at

Wal-Mart for $9.99

Experiment:

Materials:1 package of Debbie Meyer Green Bags2 Avocados2 Bananas2 Lettuce Heads2 Red Peppers2 Spinach Bags2 TomatoesRefrigeratorCounterCamera

Procedures:Step 1: Purchase materials at store including: 2 avocados, 2

bananas, 2 lettuce heads, 2 red peppers, 2 spinach bags, 2 tomatoes, 1 package of Debbie Meyer Green Bags. (Make sure produce is of identical quality)

Step 2: Place each one of the fruits and or vegetables in a Debbie Meyer Green Bag and place on counter or in refrigerator. Make sure the produce in a bag and out of a bag sit beside each other.

Step 3: Monitor fruits and vegetables daily and record data. Take pictures every 3 days to determine the quality of the produce.

Step 4: At the end of 2 weeks time period dray conclusions based on results gathered.

Control/Variable:My control group was the produce without Green Bags and my

variable group was the produce with Green Bags

Observations:

The start of my experiment 10/22/09

Avocado

Top Left Avocado Middle Avocado Top Right Avocado

First Day Last Day (13th day) 10th day

10/22/09 11/3/09 10/31/09

Banana

Top Left Banana Middle Banana Top Right Banana

First Day Last Day (13th day) 10th day

10/22/09 11/3/09 10/31/09

Tomato

Top Left Tomato Middle Tomato Top Right Tomato

First Day Last Day (15th day) 10th day

10/22/09 11/5/09 10/31/09

Lettuce

Top Left Lettuce Middle Lettuce Top Right Lettuce

First Day Last Day (17th day) 10th day

10/22/09 11/6/09 10/31/09

Red Pepper

Top Left Red Pepper Middle Red Pepper Top Right Red Pepper

First Day Last Day (13th day) 10th day

10/22/09 11/3/09 10/31/09

Spinach

Top Left Spinach Middle Spinach Top Right Spinach

First Day Last Day (14th day) 10th day

10/22/09 11/4/09 10/31/09

Data:

Bag No Bag Bag No Bag Bag No Bag Bag No Bag Bag No Bag Bag No BagDay 1 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 2 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 3 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 4 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 5 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 6 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 7 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 8 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 9 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 10 E E E E E E E E E E E EDay 11 E I E I E E E I E E E EDay 12 E I E I E E E I E E E EDay 13 Done Experimenting Done Experimenting E E Done Experimenting E E I IDay 14 E I E E Done ExperimentingDay 15 Done Experimenting E EDay 16 E IDay 17 Done Experimenting

Key:E= EdibleI= Inedible

Lettuce SpinachAvocado Banana Tomato Red Pepper

Analysis of Data:

For most of the produce the green bags helped prolong the life. But for the avocado, the green bags did not work. It was misleading because it felt fine but when cut open it was moldy and inedible. For the banana with a bag it hardly had any brown spots, compared to the banana without a bag that was completely brown. For the rest of the produce the green bags helped, but didn’t really increase the life of the produce that long. Even though my data said it was edible, it still wouldn’t have been very appealing to eat.

Conclusion:

My hypothesis can be described as right and wrong. For some of the produce like the banana, lettuce, and red pepper the green bags did help prolong the life and keep the produce looking fresher. But for the other produce like the avocado, spinach, and tomato the green bags either didn’t work or made the produce rot faster. For most cases the green bags did work but in other cases they did not. A new question I have is:" Why does only some produce work in Debbie Meyer Green Bags.”

References:Internet:http://www.cbsnewscom/stories/2003/07/21/earl

yshow/living/main/564364.shtml

http://www.lime.com/food/stuff_we_like_/641/prolong_the_life_of_your_produce

Book:“Environmentally friendly technologies for

agricultural produce quality” By Shimshon Ben-Yenoshua