Group 4 project 2020: Fermentation - student instructions

Aim:
Scientific research in the kitchen: an investigation of the process of making food by
fermentation, using the skills and knowledge developed by your study of Biology, Chemistry
and Physics.

Covid-19:
This year’s Group 4 Project has been designed so that it can be completed successfully
even if we do not return to the school campus by July.
The topic has been chosen so that your investigations can be carried out using equipment
commonly found in your kitchen cupboards and a couple of spare jam jars.
The only things that you will need to buy are the ingredients on which you are basing your
fermentation. Our intention is that you choose ingredients that can be purchased as part of
your normal family shopping, so it fits with your family’s practices of social distancing.

Communication should be online and experimentation will be at home, so we are not

expecting groups to have to meet in person.

Background:
Fermentation has been traditionally used in most if not all cuisines and cultures worldwide.
Examples range from kimchi to sauerkraut, soy sauce to yoghurt.

Increasingly, medical research is showing the benefits of including fermented foods in your
diet and the benefits of maintaining a healthy balance of gut bacteria. Here are some articles
from the ​BBC​, ​The Guardian​ and ​The Economist​. ​This is another from The Economist​ about
how fermented foods are helping scientists to understand bugs better - perhaps quite
relevant for us in this time of a global pandemic!

Experimentation Guidelines
- Each group will choose one fermentation recipe (e.g. kimchi or sauerkraut) and will
vary their recipe based on an independent variable.
- Recipe’s will be made at home, with groups sharing the experimentation. That means
2 fermentation jars will be prepared by every student (i.e. 2 jars x 8/9 students per
group = 16-18 jars per group).

Groups
- 8 mixed science groups of 8-9 students, with at least one from each science.
- Each group will have a ​supervising teacher​, to monitor your progress and to whom
you can turn for advice.
- Your groups can be seen in ​this google sheet​.
- Nominate a group leader​ who will organise online discussions, allocate roles and
communicate with their Teacher-in-charge

Variables
- Choose an Independent Variable - at least 5 different values will be needed.
 - The Dependent Variable can be qualitative or quantitative, so long as it is well
defined.
- Plan carefully how you will keep the Controlled Variables constant - this is even more
important than usual, given that the experimentation will be carried out in 8-9 different
kitchens.

Recipe Ideas
Here are some ideas of fermentation recipes on which you can base your investigation. All
can be adapted to include an independent variable - for example a quantity, temperature or
time. There are many more recipes available with a search on the internet - it is up to you
and your group which you choose:
- Kimchi
- Sauerkraut
- Fermented daikon radish
There’s plenty of international-mindedness here - you can choose a recipe from pretty much
any cuisine!
Should the opportunity arise to visit the School, there is a copy of ​The Art of Fermentation by
Sandor Katz​ in the IB Library. It is considered to be the bible of fermentation and includes
many recipes, as well as discussing the science behind.

Safety
We will expect you to plan for safe experimentation, just as you would in experimentations
carried out in the school labs.
As we are dealing with food, you will need to observe good hygiene and follow recipe advice
about sterilising your fermentation equipment.

Evidence, reflection & assessment

- Evidence for the project, along with analysis and evaluation will be summarised in a
google slides presentation, with the link submitted via google classroom. It should
include photos/videos and evidence of everybody’s involvement.
- If we are able to return to school, we will watch the presentations together after the
summer exams - hopefully it will be entertaining!

Prizes
There will be prizes awarded for the best fermented product, best presentation and best
collaboration.
The prize-winning teams will be awarded ice cream coupons.

Dates
27 April - documents distributed to students via managebac
4-8 May - check of group recipes and progress (zoom meeting to be arranged by the group
with your supervising science teacher)
15-18 June​ - Analysis, evaluation & presentation preparation
14.00/18 June​ - Presentations, peer assessment and prizegiving (all science teachers
attend). 50 word reflection to be completed in Managebac (required for the IB Diploma).
Dates to be confirmed
Best wishes,
Mr Hodgson & Mr Percy
22 April 2020