Fermenting the Science Project

Would you consider taking some grapes and turning them into wine a science project? It may seem like wine making but it is essentially a scientific process called fermentation at play. You can see the products of fermentation in any kitchen. It can include bread, yogurt, wine, beer, pickles and cheese.

During the process of fermentation you encourage the growth of microscopic organisms which can quite literally change the look and taste of the food product that you started out with. Grapes to wine for instance or milk to cheese. By encouraging the right kind of micro organism, often a bacteria, to grow you can manipulate the taste of the final food.

This is why a cheese maker is particular about the quality of rennet added to curdle the milk. And also about the time before he removes the whey from the bowl to compact the curd. This curd will then evolve into a distinctive cheese. Similarly wine makers can add yeast or not when they make wine from a particular kind of fruit.

It is possible to make wine out of rose petals with out adding any yeast to aid the fermentation. Why not try it out yourself? Take a bowl of grapes and crush them with your fingers to let the juices run. Now add a bowl of sugar to a container and the crushed grapes and juice. Mix well and seal up the container for a month. When you open the container after a month fermentation should have caused the sugar and grapes to make wine. Try out more science projects here.