Name_____________________________________Block___________Date_____________     WORKSHEET

 

MICROBES AND YOUR FOOD WEB ACTIVITY

 

*Smells good, looks good, tastes good…how do you know if it is safe to eat?

 

You are going to making pickles today! Before you make them, you need to understand what fermentation is. Go to: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/fermentation.html.

 

1) Describe how fermenting food relates to “good” microbes and “bad” microbes.

 

 

 

 

 

2) List foods/drinks that have experienced fermentation.

 

 

Go to: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/salt.html

3) Draw and describe your drawing of how OSMOSIS works to help with the “The Crunch Factor!”

 

 

 

4) How much oxygen should be in your pickle jar before you make your pickles? Why?

 

 

 

Go to: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/index.html and click on pickle challenge

Fill in the data table below:

Batch

 How much salt (1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or 1 cup?)

Temperature, Degrees F

 Describe Results – 2 adjectives

The perfect pickle!!

 

 

 

 

 

A bacteria-infested pickle!

 

 

 

 

 

Another perfect pickle!!

 

 

 

 

 

A pickle that just isn’t really a pickle!

 

 

 

 

 

Another bacteria-infested pickle!!

 

 

 

 

 

Another pickle that just isn’t really a pickle!

 

 

 

 

 

5) What factors should you absolutely consider when making pickles?!

 

 

 

Go to: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodirradiation.htm

Click on “What is food irradiation?”

6) List 2 benefits of irradiation.

 

 

 

Scroll back up to the top of the page. Click on “Which foods can be irradiated?”

7) List 5 foods that can be!

 

 

 

Scroll up to the top and click on “How does irradiation affect disease-causing microbes?”

8) Only read the 1st paragraph and in your own words, describe why microbes DISLIKE irradiation.

 

 

 

 

9) Scroll back to the top of the page and click on “How can I tell if the food has been irradiated?” How would you know??

 

 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/science/lcs/food.htm: Enjoy the virtual kitchen and fill in this sheet as you go.

 

Item in kitchen

Fact your learned from clicking on it J

backpack

 

 

refrigerator

 

 

freezer

 

 

microwave

 

 

person

 

 

sink

 

 

oven

 

 

meat on counter

 

 

thermometer

 

 

grocery bag

 

 

Done early? See me!