BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT
TOPIC – Does Vitamin – C Affect How Fast A Fruit
Will Rot

Thanveer Mohamed

XI – A
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Certificate
This is to certify that this 'BIOLOGY
INVESTIGATORY PROJECT' on the topic '
Does Vitamin – C Affect How Fast A Fruit
Will Rot ' has been successfully completed
by Thanveer Mohamed of class XI 'A' under
the guidance of Mrs. Reena Kousar in
particular fulfillment of the curriculum of
Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) leading to the award of annual
examination of the year 2022 - 2023.
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Acknowledge
I would like to convey my sincere
gratitude to Almighty God. It is my
utmost pleasure to express the deep sense
of gratitude towards Mrs. Reena Kousar,
my chemistry teacher, who directed me to
complete this project successfully. His
valuable guidance, support and
supervision are considerably responsible
for helping this project attain its present
form. I would also wish to acknowledge
my heat full thanks to Dr. Shanu .C.
Thomas, the Principal of our school, my
parents and friends who helped me to
complete the project in time.
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Contents:
1) Certificate
2) Acknowledgement
3) Objective
4) Apparatus
5) Some Information
6) Method
7) Result
8) Conclusion
9) Reference
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Objective
In this project, I tried to find if the vitamin C content in a
fruit affects how fast a fruit will rot.

Hypothesis
I think the fruit with most vitamin C content will rot first
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Apparatus

1) A paper and pencil to write down results

2) Camera to take pictures

3) Strawberries

4) Orange

5) Lemon

6) Grapes(Green Ones)

7) Ziploc plastic bags to put the fruits in

8) A tray to put the fruits on

9) A knife to cut the fruits

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Strawberries

Per cent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily
values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Oranges
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Lemon
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Grapes (Green Ones)

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Grapes (Black Ones)

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Vitamin-C
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Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid and L-ascorbic acid, is a vitamin found in
food and used as a dietary supplement. As a supplement it is used to treat and
prevent scurvy.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient involved in the repair of tissue. Foods that

contain vitamin C include citrus fruit, tomatoes, red peppers, and potatoes.

Vitamin C was discovered in 1912, isolated in 1928, and first made in 1933. It is on
the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective
and safe medicines needed in a health system. Vitamin C is available as a generic
medication and over the counter.
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Method
1. Get all the materials that are needed for the experiment.

2. Put some strawberries in a Ziploc plastic bag and label the bag "Strawberries".
Then put some blueberries in another Ziploc plastic bag and label the bag
"Blueberries". Next put some grapes in another Ziploc plastic bag and label the
bag "Grapes".

3. Take a picture of each fruit in its Ziploc plastic bag.

4. Next, put the fruit bags on a tray and leave them in a warm, dark, and dry area.

5. Each day for two weeks, observe fruits for any changes in its appearance, take a
picture, and record all observations on a piece of paper.

6. For 2 weeks, take a picture of each fruit in its Ziploc plastic bag. Then throw out
all the Ziploc plastic bags including the fruits in it.

7. Note down your observations.

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Result
From the information given previously,

Amount of vitamin C present in strawberries is 97%, lemon and orange contained equal amount of
vitamin C, i.e., 88% and grapes 6%. Strawberries contain the most amount of vitamin followed by lemon
and oranges and grapes last.

From the observations,

Strawberries with most amount of vitamin C developed mould on the second day only. Lemon and
oranges developed mould on the third day. Grapes didn't show any significant features of rotting.

Also, in these 14 days I have seen the strawberries rotted the most, followed by lemon and then
oranges. Lemon and Oranges more or less went together.

Here, Lemon peel developed brownish color on the first day only (maybe due to that the lemon peel
only contains 215 % Vitamin C).
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Conclusion

From the results, we can conclude that

My hypothesis is correct as vitamin C affects how fast a fruit will rot.
Strawberries, with the most amount of vitamin C rotted first and the most.
Lemon and oranges containing same amount of vitamin C rotted almost on
the same time, but lemon rotted the most than oranges. Grapes containing
the least amount of vitamin C showed no significant features of rotting.
The last reason why the strawberries rotted the most is because they weren't
kept in the right temperature and place. They should have been kept in the
refrigerator's cold storage bin in 2°C to help increase humidity and reduce
air circulation. Since the strawberries weren't in the right temperature, they
weren't fresh and they rotted faster.
In conclusion, I found out that 'vitamin C partially affects how fast a fruit
will rot.
"One thing that can confirm my hypothesis is that the lemon peels which
contains 215 % Vitamin C started developing brownish color on the first day
only."
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Reference

❖ https://en.wikipedia.org
❖ https://www.google.com
❖ https://www.statedclearly.com
❖ https://www.slideshare.net
❖ Reference articles from various
blogs.