questions regarding mold growth on breads

[Laurie Mehringer]

My name is Grace, and I am completing a seventh grade science projec t involving bread and which bread promotes the most mold growth.  I am trying to research why my bread identified as  whole grain bread grew the most mold in my two week experiment in which I also looked at the mold growth on breads labeled as whole wheat and white bread . Each bread received the same amount of water and was covered with plastic wrap and set in the same place. I did three trials of this experiment with the same results. I have been trying to determine why the whole grain bread grew the most mold.  The white bread grew the least mold.  The types of pre servatives used in each bread differs slightly as do the use of granulated sugar and corn syrup.   I learned through research  that calcium propionate, fumaric acid, and vinegar or acetic acid are preservatives used frequently with bread products. The white bread used calcium propionate, and the other breads used fumaric acid and vinegar as preservatives. Can you tell me which if any is a better bread preservative? I also noted that the whole grain bread used granulated sugar versus the corn syrup as in the wheat bread.  The whole grain bread also used corn starch and dextrose that were not found in either of the other breads.   I am including a list of the ingredients in each of the breads. Can you tell me if the difference in the use of corn syrup versus granulated sugar would increase the mold growth of one bread type over the other? Do the presence of corn starch and dextrose slow mold growth?   Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

Sincerely,


Grace M.




Ingredients:

White Bread Ingredients are: enriched wheat flour, water, yeast, corn syrup, contains 2% or less of the following: Soybean oil, salt, dough conditioners, wheat gluten, calcium propionate, sugar, yeast nutrients, wheat starch, soy lecithin.

100% Whole Grain Bread ingredients are: 100% whole grain whole wheat flour, water, granulated sugar, wheat gluten, yeast, soybean oil, honey, salt, contains 2%or less of the following: calcium sulfate, cultured wheat, yeast nutrients, fumaric acid, vinegar, dough conditioners, dextrose, corn starch, soy lecithin.

100% Whole Wheat Bread Ingredients are: 100% whole grain whole wheat flour, water, corn syrup, wheat gluten, yeast, soybean oil, honey, salt, contains 2% or less of the following: Calcium sulfate, cultured wheat, yeast nutrients, fumaric acid, vinegar, dough conditioners, soy lecithin.


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