Experiment To If Garlic or Mint is More Antibacterial.
Aim:
To see what substance would be most ideal in toothpaste, by seeing what is the most antibacterial, out of garlic and mint.
Hypothesis:
I would expect mint to have some antibacterial properties, as it is used in nearly all toothpaste and is quite a strong tasting and smelling substance. However, garlic is very strong and when I eat a clove of garlic I got a far more strong, intense, hot feeling in my mouth, more so than mint. So I would expect garlic to be more antibacterial than garlic, but mint to be used in toothpaste for it’s taste.
Apparatus:
Agar Plate.
Bacteria Culture.
Garlic and Mint Extracts (liquid form).
Industrial Methylated Spirits.
Beakers.
Pipette.
Bunsen Burner.
Glass Spreader.
Small Paper Discs.
Petri Dish.
Forceps.
Sellotape.
Incubator.
Method:
First of all, I disinfected my work space, by rubbing methylated sprits over it. It then opened my culture, and using a new, sterilised pipette, I placed 1ml on the agar, and with the sterilised spreader (sterilised by running it over a Bunsen flame) I spreaded the culture evenly over agar plate and placed the Petri dish cover on top. I sterilised my glass spreader by dipping it in the beaker of methylated spirits, took it out, and flamed the spreader. I then used my sterilised forceps (via the flame again) and picked up a paper disk and placed it in the small beaker of mint extract, to let it soak into the paper. I then opened the Petri dish I had prepared earlier and placed the paper disk half way between the middle and the edge of the Petri disk, and then disinfect my forceps so that I can use them again. I do this three more times, so that I have a ‘square’ with four mint disks on each corner. I then put the lid on, and using tape up the dish, around the top vertically once, and around the top horizontally once aswell, not too much tape as I do not want to make anaerobic conditions inside the dish, then I label the dish, so in future I will know that it is mint extract used. I then prepare another Petri dish, the same way as I have done with the mint one, but instead of using mint extract, using garlic extract. I label this new dish differently, e.g. ‘Garlic’, to the mint dish, and then place then in an incubator at 25°C for a few days.
