Re: For my 7th grade Science Fair Project, my topic is 'Will a Vacuum or a UV

Hi Carrie,

There are two primary reasons fruit will spoil:

1) It gets moldy.
2) It gets over ripe, like when a banana turns black and soft.

These are very different processes, because the first one depends on the 
presence of mold, and the second one does not.  A banana will turn black 
even if it is completely free of mold.

I recommend using two fruits for your project.  To see if a vacuum or UV 
light prevents or slows down mold growth, use some kind of fresh berry, 
because these are the most susceptible to mold.  Raspberries and 
blackberries will get moldy in a day or two, strawberries usually last a 
couple days longer.  Make sure they aren’t already moldy when you get them 
at the store!

To see if a vacuum or UV light prevents or slows down the ripening process, 
use bananas, because they ripen quickly, and it’s easy to tell how ripe a 
banana is just by looking at it.

Good luck!

Alex Brands
Lehigh Un