I will measure the size of the zone of clearing i.e. the area in which the enzymes have digested. It will be measured using a ruler in millimeters for the most accuracy.
My plan.
Place 6 corked bored holes in each of the 5 agar plates. (Do not fully take the lid off the agar plate because bacteria may grow on the plate) (Make sure the cork borer is sterile for the same reason.)
In the first hole of each agar plates, place a solution of 1g (washing powder) to 25cm3 (water) of Aerial.
Then in the second, place the same solution of Radion.
Then in the third place Persil brand with the same solution.
Then in the fourth, place Asda with the same solution.
In the fifth, place Daz with the same solution
In the sixth place distilled water to act as a control.
Place the agar plates in an incubator for 48 hours.
Remove them from the incubator and then flood them with iodine, removing the excess after.
Measure the zones of clearing and record the results.
Apparatus.
5 different companies biological washing powders,
5 agar plates of starch,
A 5mm sterile cork borer,
Distilled water,
Water,
Incubator,
Iodine,
5 Beakers
Risk Assessment
The risks to me will be:
Chemicals - enzymes (harmful to skin and eyes if contact is made)
To prevent this wear safety glasses and gloves
-Iodine (same as above)
Same as above.
The risks to others are:
Agar plates – Accidental bacterial growth if lid of plated is opened.
Tape down lid.
Results
(All results were measured in millimeters)
(On the table there are + signs they are there because some of the zones of clearing were to big and touched the end of the plate, therefore these results could have been higher)
A – Aerial Biological
B – Asda Biological
C – Daz Biological
D – Persil Biological
E – Radion Biological
F – Distilled Water
Changes made to my experiment.
The changes made to my experiment were that I changed the length of time in which the agar plates were left in the incubator because, if the plates were left in he incubator to long infectious diseases could grow. Another change is that the lids were taped down so nothing can spill or come out of the plates.
What I have found out
I have found out that the most effective biological washing powder is Aerial because it had the largest zones of clearing. Radion the company who said they had the largest amount of enzymes was actually very wrong.
Patterns and trends
In this experiment there were not any patterns or trends noticed because the results obtained were unique and it is hard to find any patterns or trends.
Comparing results to my prediction
I Predicted the most effective washing powder would be the one with the most amount of enzymes because the higher the concentration of enzymes the faster the rate of the breaking down of the starch. The washing powder, which had the largest zones of clearing, was Aerial, but Radion claimed they had the most enzymes. From my experiment, I have proved Radion wrong, its not Radion but Aerial who has the most amount of enzymes.
Conclusion
I have found out that the weakest biological washing powder was Radion and that the strongest was Aerial. The reason why Radion claims to have the most amounts of enzymes is because there is something else that gets rid of dirt instead of the enzymes. This bleach gets rid of all dirt. Therefore, Radion cleans clothes well; Radion can say it is there enzymes, which is cleaning the clothes and this would be good for marketing.
Enzymes are used widely in industry for many things such as; they are used in stopping some cancer cases by injecting a certain enzyme into the surroundings of the tumor this breaks down the food needed by the virus, thus killing the virus. Another use is the fermentation of beer were enzymes are used to ferment beer (Encarta 98).
How reliable were my results?
My results were reliable because I took all the precautions to make sure everything was controlled and it was a fair test. Therefore the results I have achieved should be al right. The amount of results I have achieved, I think is an efficient amount because the good and bad washing powders are clearly showed and more results are not needed.
I did find an anomalous result. Plate 2 had low values for all the readings. The reason for the values being low is probably because when the washing powders were put into the hoes they were not full y filled, which means there is less starch dissolved.
Would I change anything and what can I do to extend the experiment.
If I were to repeat this experiment, I would try to get larger agar plates so the zones of clearing can be easily seen. I would also work out the amounts of enzymes contained in the washing powder and compare the results I get to what the companies say the values are. I would also try seeing the effect of changing what the agar plates are made of, protein or fat.
