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Speed of Decomposition
Purpose
To determine which factor speeds up the decomposition in fruits and
vegetables air and light or complete darkness with stagnant air.

Additional information
Many people enjoy making compost piles to help fertilize their plants and
aid the environment. In the majority of cases, compost piles take quite a bit of time to create as you
have to wait for several days or weeks for the pile to decompose. This experiment can help
determine how someone can speed up the decomposition of their compost pile.

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Required materials

Cardboard box/li>

2 Styrofoam plates (Styrofoam does not decompose)/li>

Black paint /li>

Paintbrush /li>

Newspaper/li>

2 apples, cut in slices/li>

2 zucchini, cut in slices/li>

Notebook/li>

Camera, if you have one

Estimated Experiment Time

Several weeks.

Step-By-Step Procedure

1. Begin by laying newspaper out on the grass in your yard or pavement. Set up the black
paint and the box out on the newspaper and paint the inside of the box black. Make sure there are no
holes in the box and let the paint dry for at least a few hours before proceeding.

2. While the paint is drying, cut up the apple and zucchini slices. Divide them evenly into two
groups and place them each on their own Styrofoam plate.

3. When the box is finished drying, take it and place it over one plate of apples and one plate
of zucchini in an area where it will not get disturbed.

4. Place the other two plates of apples and zucchini in an area where there is lots of air and
sunlight, such as by a window, but where it will not get disturbed.

5. Let the plates of food begin to decompose. Take pictures if you can and record details about
how quickly each plate of food is decomposing.

Note
Take care when cutting the apple and zucchini slices. Younger audiences should have an adult cut the
the apple and zucchini for them.

Observation
When making your observations, make sure you are as detailed as possible about how the food
looks, feels and smells as well as how quickly each set of food is decomposing.

Result
Generally, the food in the box will decompose faster than the food that is exposed to air and light.
Bacteria are what decompose food and light and air will kill many bacteria, but not all of them.
Bacteria will thrive in a warm, dark environment, therefore decomposing the food that is not exposed
to light and air faster.

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FOOD

FOOD FACTS

FRUITS & VEGGIES

Q:
How does fruit decompose?
A:

QUICK ANSWER

Fruit decomposes because bacteria, fungi, and other micro organisms invade the fruit and secrete
enzymes that cause rotting. Hastening the rotting process along with enzymes that occur
naturally in the fruit, the success of these organisms and enzymes is also influenced by
environmental factors like oxygen and water.
KNOW MORE

KEEP LEARNING

Why does lemon juice keep fruit from turning brown?

Is fruit bad for you?

How are peaches healthy for the body?

FULL ANSWER

In order for fruit to spoil at all bacteria or fungi must be present. The fruit that begins to
spoil the fastest normally is damaged on the surface in a way which allows easy access
by the microbes. The oxygen in the air hastens deterioration as well by causing
oxidation to the fruit and a providing a nurturing environment for the micro organisms.
Water is also essential for the success of the organisms and since fruit consist of a large
percentage of water, bacteria and fungal growth is encouraged even further.
The first organism to typically infest a fruit is fungi as they are more equipped at
destroying the plants cell wall. Once this occurs the enzymes secreted begin rotting the
fruit making it more favorable to be host to bacteria population, further increasing the
rate of rotting. Some environments that can prevent fruit rot are those typical of food
preservation such as pickling in acidic solutions or candying in sugar.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FRUITS & VEGGIES

Sources:
chestofbooks.com
foodsafetysite.com
archive.bio.ed.ac.uk