LAB: 7

TITLE: Milk Spoilage

OBSERVATION: A baker accidentally opens a new carton of milk without realizing that there
was a half-filled box already opened from the day before, sitting on the counter. He puts both
cartons in the fridge for 24 hours, but the next morning, upon opening the half-filled box, he
detects a pungent sour smell.

HYPOTHESIS: A glass of warm milk will last longer as compared to a glass of cold milk

AIM: To investigate the conditions to reduce milk spoilage.

APPARATUS & MATERIALS:

 Beakers
 Cool environment (refrigerator)
 Plastic wrap
 Milk
 Measuring cylinder
 Labels
 Universal Litmus paper
 Dropper
 Petri dish
DIAGRAM:

DRAWING SHOWING SET UP FOR THE EXPERIMENT

METHOD:

1) Pour the milk into a beaker. Using a dropper, carefully deposit drops of milk onto
universal litmus paper placed on a petri dish.
2) Observe and record any changes in colour of the litmus paper.
3) Measure 50ml of the milk by pouring it into a measuring cylinder.
4) Distribute the milk evenly among four clean beakers, labeled as M-1, M-2, M-3, and M-4,
with each beaker containing 50ml of milk.
5) Place plastic wraps on top on each of the beakers to secure it.
6) Place beakers M-1 and M-2 in a refrigerator, ensuring a consistently cold temperature.
7) Position beakers M-3 and M-4 outside at room temperature, maintaining consistent
conditions for these samples.
8) Allow the beakers to rest undisturbed for a period of 5 days to facilitate potential changes
in the milk samples.
9) After the 5-day period, place universal litmus paper on a petri dish once again. Add drops
of milk from each beaker (M-1, M-2, M-3, and M-4) onto the litmus paper and carefully

VARIABLES:
RESPONDING: The colour changes in litmus papers after the milks are placed.
CONTROLLED: The volume of milk.
MANIPULATING: The temperature of the milk locations.

RESULTS:
TABLE SHOWING RESULTS FROM THE EXPERIMENT
BEAKERS OF MILK OBSERVATIONS OF OBSERVATIONS OF
MILK BEFORE 5 DAYS MILK AFTER 5 DAYS
Beaker M-1 (refrigerator)

Beaker M-2 (refrigerator)

Beaker M-3 (room

temperature
 Beaker M-4 (room
temperature)

LIMITATIONS:
1) The experiment doesn't specify the type or source of milk used, and variations in milk
composition could influence the observed changes.
2) Over the 5-day period, there may be changes in the volume of milk due to evaporation,
potentially affecting the concentration of substances in the samples.
EXPECTED RESULTS:
Based on the hypothesis it is expected that the warm milk will last longer in comparison to the
cold milk. Hence, the warm milk will have a slower spoilage period versus the cold milk which
will have a faster spoilage. If the warm milk has a spoilage before the cold milk therefore this
hypothesis is proven to be false.

REFLECTION:
This experiment provided insights into the potential changes that may occur in milk over a 5-day
period under different storage conditions. I found this experiment to be quite interesting and very
understandable to carry out with the procedure provided. In the real world this experiment can be
used for monitoring changes in milk over time and can also have implications for health and
safety. Detecting spoilage or contamination early can prevent the consumption of unsafe
products.