2. • The strawberries were checked at the same
time every day (5:30 pm).
• They were all removed from the fridge at the
same time and placed back at the same time.
• The results are documented throughout via
written observations, photographs and video
footage.
3. Day 1
• After day one all the strawberries remained
the same, there was little to no change in any
of the storage solutions
4. Day 2
• When observed on the second day all the
strawberries in foil had begun to soften, one
in the airtight container had slightly softened,
the ones in supermarket packaging were still
quite firm whilst the ones in the bowl were
still a perfect hardness.
6. Day 3
• The strawberries in the foil had become very soft
and by just looking at them you could see
moisture on their surfaces, day 3 could have seen
these strawberries be classified as un-fresh. The
airtight container strawberries showed slight
change from day two but not a lot, whilst
surprisingly the ones in the supermarket
container were starting to show moisture and
were softer.
• The strawberries in the bowl again showed no
change and remained fresh.
8. Day 4
• The ones in the foil were now declared un-fresh; they
were showing a lot of moisture and that moisture was
evident on the foil. The ones in the supermarket
container were quite soft but not excreting any
moisture yet, whilst the airtight container strawberries
again stayed relatively the same with the moisture
condensing around the sides of the container rather
than on the strawberries.
• The strawberries in the bowl were the same, a perfect
hardness and very fresh, believed to be because the
paper towel was taking all the moisture out.
9. Video and images
The colouring The cmoisture
from the on the
strawberries strawberry is
has obvious as is
transferred colouring on
onto foil foil
10. Day 5
• We still checked the strawberries in the foil and they
were worse than the previous day, excreting a lot of
moisture and red colouring.
• The supermarket container strawberries were
extremely soft and only showing a little moisture but
were shriveling at the top.
• The airtight container strawberries had a heap of water
condensation around it, the strawberries were still
quite firm with no liquid coming off them.
• The strawberries in the bowl were the same as
previous days and had softened only very slightly but
had absolutely no liquid or colour coming off them.
12. Day 6
• By day 6 both lots of strawberries in the
plastic containers were soft and excreting
moisture. They were classified as no longer
fresh on the sixth day.
• The strawberries in the bowl continued to
remain fresh and edible.
13. Images
The strawberries from the airtight container can be seen here to have
turned squishy and soft. Moisture is visible on their surfaces and when
they were touched they left colouring on skin.
14. Images
These images of the strawberries
from the supermarket container
show how soft and inedible
these strawberries had become.
In the top picture moisture is
obvious on the finger from
touching the strawberry.
15. Day 7
• On day 7, there was only the strawberries in
the bowl with paper towel to check. They
were still relatively fresh but I would predict
they would only last maximum another two
days as they were beginning to soften.
16. Days of freshness for strawberries in each storage
solution
Bowl and paper towel*
Supermarket Container
Airtight container
Foil
Days of freshness
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
* Strawberries in bowl and paper towel still fresh after
7 days.
17. What happened?
• Strawberries decline so quickly because of the
soggy, cold wet air that surrounds them and allows
bacteria to breed. The ones in the foil therefore lost
their freshness soonest because the air wasn’t given a
chance to circulate and the moisture fermented on the
strawberries breeding bacteria.
• The strawberries in the bowl with paper towel lasted
the longest because they had no covering and the air
around was able to circulate. They also lasted longer
because the paper towel drew the moisture in, away
from the strawberries meaning the moisture wasn’t
breeding bacteria.
18. What changes could be made?
• If I was to do this experiment again I would
choose some different storage methods, as the
airtight container and supermarket container
wielded similar results. I would use a colander as
many forums suggest.
• I would try another approach to this experiment
and leave some strawberries out of the fridge and
some inside the fridge.
• I would have a more specific measurement of
freshness, as this was slightly subjective.
