Antibacterial Power Test
Project Overview: For centuries, people believed garlic and honey could fight off illness long before modern medicine existed. This project puts those old remedies to the test against a modern hand sanitizer, using mold growth as your scientific measuring stick, since mold is just another type of microorganism trying to grow.
Materials Required:
4 to 5 slices of plain bread
Crushed garlic
Honey
Hand sanitizer
Water
4 to 5 sealable sandwich bags
A spray bottle or dropper
Instructions:
Lightly dampen each slice of bread with a few sprays of water.
Rub one slice with crushed garlic, coat a second slice with honey, spray a third slice with hand sanitizer, and leave a fourth slice completely untouched as your control.
Seal each slice in its own labeled sandwich bag.
Store all the bags in a warm, dark place, like inside a cabinet, and leave them completely undisturbed.
Check the bags every day for a week without opening them and record how much mold growth you see on each slice.
Congratulations, you just ran a real antimicrobial experiment.
Fun Fact: The untouched slice usually molds the fastest, while garlic often slows mold growth the most, thanks to a natural compound called allicin, the same chemical responsible for garlic's strong smell.
