The Rotting Apple Experiment Results

Last week my daughters and I cut an apple up into slices, dropped 1 slice in several canning jars, and dropped something in each canning jar.  We sealed the jars and watched the apples over the next several days.  The goal was to take a look at how different substances, such as salt, water, sugar, etc., effect the decay of the apple slice.  Below is a picture of the apple slice that we used as a control (in jar by itself) after 7 days.

Slightly browned, as you might expect.  Next is the picture of the apple slice placed in water.

Much browner.  Next comes the apple placed in salt.

Salt is a preservative and the apple slice still looks very fresh!  Next is an apple placed in baking soda.

The baking soda did a horrible job preserving this apple slice!  Next is an apple placed in brown sugar.

Not as bad as the baking soda apple.  It's interesting how the brown sugar turned into a liquid after a few days in the jar.  Next, and last, is an apple in white sugar.

Still very brown.

To conclude, the salt did the best job keeping the apple fresh, followed by air by itself.  The other materials quickly turned the apple slice to some shade of brown.

This was a cool, week-long experiment that you can easily do in your home with your kids.  What other substances could you put in with the apple?