Velammal Vidyalaya

Cbse school

Which cheese grows

Mold the fastest

Biology assignment
Submitted by

Anjana k
XII-A
2021-2022
 VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA,
MEL AYANAMBAKKAM

NAME: Anjana k BATCH

NO
REG NO.

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the biology investigatory project on the topic
‘which cheese grows mold the fastest’ has been successfully
completed by ANJANA K of class XII-A under the guidance of Ms.
Madhuranthaki in partial fulfillment of biology practical in the
curriculum of AISSCE-CBSE, New Delhi for the academic year 2021-
2022

Teacher in charge

Signature of external examiner Signature of internal

examiner

Signature of principal
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Iam grateful to almighty for giving me the strength to

complete my project successfully with sustained efforts
which many a times oscillate.
I am deeply indebted to my biology
teacher,Ms.Madhuranki without whose constructive
feedback, this project would not have been a success.
The valuable advice and suggestion for correction,
modification and improvement did enhance the quality
of the task.
I am obliged to Mr. Venkataraman N S, our principal for
providing the best facilities and environment to bring
out innovation and spirit of inquiry through this
venture.
I take the special pleasure to acknowledge Ms.
Sharmilee for the willingness in providing us with
necessary lab equipments.
I am grateful to my parents and my friends who helped
me in various phases of completion of this project.
 Contents :

Sno particulars Page no

1 aim
2 introduction
3 Material
required
4 procedure
5 Observation
6 conclusion
7 bibliography

Aim :
To determine which cheese grows mold fastest: cheddar cheese ,mozzarella cheese or
slize cheese

Introduction :
What are molds ?
  Molds are microscopic fungi that live on plant or animal matter. They can be found

indoors and outdoors and are part of our natural environment.

 They play an important role in the environment by breaking down and digesting

organic material. Also called fungi or mildew, molds are neither plants nor animals;

they are part of the kingdom Fungi.

 Molds can multiply by producing microscopic spores similar to the seeds produced by

plants. Many spores are so small they easily float through the air and can be carried

for great distances by even the gentlest breezes.

 Molds come in many colors including white. "Black mold" is not a species or specific

kind of mold, and neither is "toxic mold."

Where are molds found ?

 Molds are very common in buildings and homes. Mold will grow in places with a lot

of moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been

flooding.

 Mold grows well on paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood products.

Mold can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and

upholstery.

How does mold grow on cheese ?

 Mold grows on cheese when it is placed in a badly ventilated or moist area. Mold

spores are airborne all around us, invisible to the naked eye. And if one spore makes

it onto a piece of cheese, it can begin to reproduce rapidly and feed off of the

cheese.

 The amount of mold that grows on cheese depends on the type of cheese as well.

There are soft, semi soft, semi hard or hard cheeses produced, and the softer the

cheese, the quicker the chances it can grow mold. Most soft cheeses are more

watery, and are also the freshest cheeses, and will facilitate more growth if it comes

into contact with mold.

 Mold reproduces via the production of small spores . These spores can be compared

to the seeds of a plant, though they are much smaller than seeds or even pollen grains.

 Their small size makes them easy to disperse via wind and water. They can also travel

long distances by clinging on to clothing or fur.

 Mold spores can survive environments that don’t support normal mold growth . They

will only start to grow once they land in an environment with suitable water, food,

temperature, and oxygen.

 Unlike plants’ use of photosynthesis to harness energy, molds (and all fungi) rely on

organic matter  to provide energy. Mold grows on the materials it can digest.
 These substances are broken down into simple, easy to absorb substances by the

secretion of digestive enzymes . This process provides the required ‘food’ for the

mold.

What promotes mold growth?

 Mold requires water, food, and oxygen to grow. It also requires an environment with a

temperature it can survive.

 While mold cannot spread without these conditions, its spores may survive in a

dormant state until conditions are suitable.

Factors :

 Temperature : Most molds cannot grow below 40° F.  This is why food is typically

refrigerated at 39° F. Mold grows best between 77 F and 86 F, especially if the air is

humid.

 Water ; Molds thrive in damp, humid, and wet conditions. They require water to grow

and spread, which is why it is recommended to keep homes – especially walls and

carpets – as dry as possible. Water leaks, flooding, high humidity, and condensation

all provide moisture mold can use to grow and spread.

 Oxygen :Molds are obligate aerobes . This means that they need oxygen to survive.

Mold grows even at very low concentrations of oxygen, however, which makes it

difficult to fight mold growth by limiting oxygen.

 Food : Mold grows on materials that it can digest – and it can digest a lot. It can

metabolize virtually any organic (carbon containing )matter  in nature, making it

impossible to remove all food sources of mold from your environment.

Types of molds :

 Some fungi can get all of the nutrition they need to grow by developing on cheese.

Mold types of the family Penicillium, which produce blue-green spores that give

the mold its color

 Most types of Penicillium are harmless and, in fact, are often used to give the Blue

Cheeses their color and flavor, so they are very safe to eat.

Aspergillus :


 Aspergillus: Aspergillus is one of the most common molds. You can find its spores

virtually everywhere  – from Antarctic soil and the interior of spacecraft to homes

throughout the USA

 Found both inside and outside homes, this mold often grows on painted surfaces,

wood, many types of paneling, painted masonry (including brick and masonry block),

and poured concrete foundations.

Penicillium :

Penicillium: Another common type of mold, Penicillium  also thrives both inside

and outside of the home. It commonly infests vinyl, paneling, wood, painted

masonry, and poured concrete foundations.

 Cladosporum :

Cladosporium: This mold is one of the most common types of mold found on external

surfaces of buildings. Cladosporium may colonize vinyl siding, glass surfaces, windows,

many types of wood, and paneling.

 trichoderma.

Trichoderma : Trichoderma is less common than the first three types of mold. Its

infrequency is in part because it require more moisture  than the others.

This mold grows on untreated lumber, pine wood and boards, decaying wood, and textiles.

No matter what mold is on your exterior surfaces, it’s important to remove it swiftly and

thoroughly. This will reduce damage to the materials and structures that mold grows on.

Materials required :

 samples of Cheddar, slize cheese ,mozarilla cheese

 knife

 cutting board

 centimeter ruler

 thermometer

 sterile swabs
 paper toweling or blotting paper

 rubber gloves, apron or shirt as lab coatsanitizer such as dilute liquid bleach.

Procedure :

1. Gather all materials.

2. Put on safety glasses, apron and rubber gloves.

3. Clean the surface that will be working on with a dilute solution of bleach and water.

4. Set up the dishes  into 4 sets of two labeling them with specimen numbers such as# 1

and  #2 will contain Cheddar, #3 and #4 will contain Slize ,# 5 and #6 will be

mozarilla etc.

5. Set up 4 dishes, each of which will contain a sample of each cheese to serve as a

control and label them.

6. Cut the paper toweling to fit the dishes, line the dishes with the paper and soak each

of the papers with a medicine dropper of water.

7. Slice all the cheeses into equal segments and place them in the labeled dishes and in

the controls.

8. Store the dishes in a warm place (75-80 degrees F) and in a dark place, a drawer or in

a closed box.

9. Observe, measure and record the growth of the mold using your centimeter ruler on a

daily basis for one weeks. 

10. To make sketches of the observations and /or take photos of the mold growth to

substantiate the observations.

11. Graph the data.   A graph presents an instant picture of the findings.

Observation :
 Cheddar cheese :

Mozarilla cheese :
 Slize cheese :

 One week period of time under warm place and in a dark place

cheeses were observed. Above images are the result .

Conclusion :

 Molds appear in cheddar and mozarilla cheese . No molds are observed in

slize cheese .

 On 5th day molds begin to appear in cheddar chesse and on 7th day molds

appear in mozarilla chesse .

 Green and black colour observed in cheddar cheese and red colour

observed in mozarilla cheese .

 Green colour mold is caused by aspergillus fungi and red colour mold is

caused by clathrus ruber fungi .

 Cheddar cheese grows mold the fastest .

Bibliography :

1. Ammirati, Joe F. “Mold,” World Book Encyclopedia, 2002.

2. Edelman, E. and Grodnick, S. The Ideal Cheese Book, 1986.

3. Facts about mold . December 8, 2004.

4. www.answers.com/topic/cheese.