STEM on a Plate: Girls Explore the Science of Food

After a journey through the Solar System, the Girls in STEM Club returned to earth with a fun and fascinating exploration of food science.  This session focused on how we experience food through taste, smell, colour, and sound, and how these senses are closely linked to memory.

The girls explored the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.  They learned that sugar not only adds sweetness but also provides a quick energy boost.  In one experiment, they compared cans of Fanta, Coca-Cola, and Coca-Cola Zero in a tank of water.  Coca-Cola Zero floated higher due to its lack of sugar, while Coca-Cola (14.5 teaspoons) and Fanta (16 teaspoons) sank.

Next experiment showed how sugar feeds yeast and produces gas that makes dough rise.  Using balloons, yeast, sugar, and warm water, the girls watched in amazement as the balloons inflated from the gas released during the reaction.

They also explored how colour influences taste, no one was keen to eat blue-coloured roast chicken!  Chromatography experiments with Skittles and M&Ms created colourful patterns as sugar and dyes separated on filter paper and plates.

In a sensory test, the girls tried food without smelling it first.  They couldn’t distinguish raw potato from apple, proving how much smell influences taste.

Finally, they made sherbet using citric acid, bicarb soda, icing sugar, and jelly crystals.  Each girl reported a unique fizzy, sour, or sweet experience.

Registrations for Term 4 are now open! Girls in Years 5 and 6 can join this free, hands-on STEM program. Scan the QR code to sign up.