Briefing
Some days ago I noted that 3 cookies left on my desk since 3 months ago are still "fresh", and by that I mean... not spongy like some cookies that get soft after some time outside.
However this particular brand of cookies do get spongy, I'm not sure why don't these do!
I also noted that there is a cockroaches/flies infestation in a home nearby, so these are getting in my house, but none of those insects dare to eat the cookies.
So, I decided to make an experiment inspired in the well known experiment of Watermelon vs McDonalds Burger where a watermelon decomposes extremely quick, and the burger does not. This article even mentions one that hasn't decomposed after two decades!
I understand that watermelon decomposes so fast mainly because of the sugar/water that it contains, but that is another story, let me tell you what I want to do.
Problem
In this experiment the only notable variables taken into account were: Visual appearance (picture), and time.
For my cookies I want to do a similar experiment, but I want to know which variables should I consider, so far I only have these in mind, but I want to know what else can be considered for food products:
- Date of packaging
- "Best before" date label
- Visual appearance (daily pics)
- Time gone by before going spongy
- Humidity of room (3 daily measures across the day)
- Temperature of room (3 daily measures across the day)
And the samples will be:
- Being in a closed room (eg. my room)
- Being in an open room (eg. dinning room)
- Exposing to insects directly (eg. roaches, ants, flies)
- Adding a drop of "morning saliva" (mainly for the bacteria)
Question is
In general, what do I need for food experiments? I think these are OK, but maybe I'm overdoing it on some, and maybe I need to consider some other parameters.
My experiment's objective is to see if it decomposes, why does it take X time to do so, or why doesn't it decompose at all, if it is safe to eat, or if it shenanigans like McBurgers.
