The purpose of our experiment was to find out the relationship between the number of seconds the bread came into contact with the dirty floor (independent variable) and the growth of bacteria in colonies (dependant variable), proving whether the amount of time, in seconds, spent in contact with the dirty floor affects the growth on the bread, as previous studies had demonstrated the possibility of getting ill and diseases due to the consumption of food that was in contact for a short period of time with an unsanitary surface area.
Our research question was, “How does the number of seconds in contact with the floor affect the number and the growth of bacteria?” and we hypothesis that different timings (seconds) of contact of food with the dirty floor surface will have different amounts (colonies) of bacteria contaminating it and, specifically, food (bread) dropped on the dirty floor for 5 seconds would have fewer bacteria colonies contaminating it than food (bread) dropped on the dirty floor for longer seconds (30 seconds, 1 minute, and 5 minutes specifically).
After the experiments are done, our data shows that as the time of contact with the floor increases, the number of bacteria grown also increases. Therefore, our hypothesis is proven to be true.
Through this research, we have contributed by making a conclusion on the effect of time of contact with the floor on the growth of bacteria. This finding can help scientists and doctors to come up with an updated advisory on whether or not we should pick up our food and eat it depending on how many seconds our food was in contact with the floor. Our experiment and report has accountable results to prove the reliability of the 5-second rule and sharing our findings with the public to educate and address the sustainable goals, Good Health, and Well-being.
This knowledge gained can raise awareness about food safety and debunk the myth of the 5-second rule, where no bacteria will be picked up by food when the food has been in contact with the floor for 5 seconds or less. By sharing this knowledge, more people in the society will take note that bacteria can be picked up by food dropped onto the floor, regardless of however many seconds it spent in contact with the floor; as long as it was in contact with the floor and bacteria can grow at a drastic rate. Thus they will avoid eating food dropped on the floor to prevent falling ill from ingesting harmful bacteria, as other studies and research showed the possibility that bacteria may reproduce in one’s body and release toxins that can damage their body’s tissues and make them feel ill when consumed Lewis (2020). Thus, by raising awareness of our results, we can provide society with more food safety and awareness.
This knowledge will also be useful for further studies in the future as we discover more about the potential effects of bacteria on the human body.
In this study, the independent variable is the number of seconds the piece of bread is in contact with the floor, and the dependent variable is the growth of the number of bacteria. However, further study can be done by adding more variables (dependent and independent) into the experiment. In an experiment by Clarke (2003), she used different types of tiles (smooth and rough tiles) and different types of food (gummy bears and fudge-striped cookies) for her experiment. In her experiment, both the gummy bears and the cookies picked up bacteria, but more bacteria has been transferred to the gummy bear than the cookie. She also found that the rough tile transferred more bacteria to the gummy bear than the smooth tile.
In another experiment done by Dawson (2006), they conducted three experiments to determine the survival and transfer of Salmonella Typhimurium from wood, tile or carpet to bologna and bread. They found that the transfer rate of bacteria to food decreases as time passes. In addition, they also found that the transfer from the carpet to bologna was very low when compared with the transfer from wood and tile. These are some other ways to do further research into the topic and to get a better understanding of the rate of bacterial transfer and growth.