Kitchen cupboard science: Micro-organisms

Kitchens provide an ideal focus for investigations involving both beneficial and harmful micro-organisms. You can cover the National Curriculum science objectives by finding out about conditions in which dangerous microbes multiply and demonstrate how others can be used in food preparation. Louis Pasteur investigated the behaviour of micro-organisms in foods, while Alexander Fleming’s work on moulds led to the discovery of penicillin. Help children to appreciate the importance of fair testing and gathering reliable information by learning about real scientists’ research techniques.

1 Going bad