“A Milky Situation”

1. “A Milky Situation” By: Jessica

2. Question In a blind taste-test, can people tell the difference between skim, 2% and whole milk?

3. Hypothesis My hypothesis is that most people will be able to tell the difference between skim, 2%, and whole milk in a blind taste-test.

4. Controls Same brand of milk Same expiration date of milk Same temperature of milk Same amount of milk Same speed milk is drunk Same size and type of cup Same blindfold Same grade Buy milk all from same place All white milk All cow’s milk Drink all within the same time interval

5. Variables Independent Variable The independent variable in my experiment is the type of milk (skim, 2%, and whole).

6. Variables Dependent Variable The dependent variable in my experiment is whether a person can tell the difference among all three types of milk or not.

7. Materials 3 3 oz. Dixie cups 1 ½ gal. skim milk, Kroger brand 1 ½ gal. 2% milk, Kroger brand 1 ½ gal. whole milk, Kroger brand 1 dark blindfold 1 taste-tester (non-allergic to cow’s milk) 1 measuring cup with ounce graduations (pour spout preferred) 1 sink to rinse measuring cup between uses 1 refrigerator to store milk 1 wastebasket to dispose of empty cups 1 table/counter to set materials on

8. Procedure Gather materials Blindfold the taste-tester Use measuring cup to pour 1 oz. of skim milk into a 3 oz. Dixie cup. Label the cup with an “S” for skim milk. Set aside. Rinse the measuring cup with water at the sink Use measuring cup to pour 1 oz of 2% milk into a 3 oz. Dixie Cup. Label the cup “2” for 2%. Set aside. Rinse the measuring cup with water at the sink.

9. Procedure continued 7. Use measuring cup to pour 1 oz. whole milk into a third 3 oz. Dixie cup. Label this cup “w” for whole milk. Set aside. 8. Shuffle the cups of milk around. Randomly give the taste-tester one cup to drink. 9. Ask them what kind of milk they think it is and record the results on the data table. 10. Give the taste-tester a second cup of milk, randomly, and have them drink the milk. 11. Ask them what kind of milk they think it is and record the results on the data table.

10. Procedure continued 12. Give the taste-tester the final cup. Have them drink the milk and tell you what kind of milk they think it is. 13. Record their answer on the data table. 14. Ask the taste-tester if their answers are final. Make any changes they want to make by changing the information on the data table. 15. Help the taste-tester take off the blindfold. 16. Reveal the correct results to the taste-tester. 17. Clean up 18. Repeat these steps with each taste-tester

11. Data Table

12. Results Three people out of the four tested were able to tell the difference between skim, 2%, and whole milk. The fourth person tested was able to identify whole milk Correctly, but mixed up skim and 2%.

13. Graph

14. Conclusion The question I investigated was, in a blind taste test, can a person tell the difference between skim, 2% and whole milk. My hypothesis was yes, I believe most people can tell the difference between skim, 2%, and whole milk in a blind taste test. I chose this as my hypothesis because I think all three types of milk have a very distinct taste. I know I can tell the difference among all three types of milk, so I suspect most people can as well.

15. Conclusion Continued According to my data, I accept my hypothesis. My results showed that 75% of the people I tested were able to tell the difference between all three types of milk in a blind taste test, and 25% could not. To make my test fair, I tested two boys and two girls. Even though I doubt gender is a factor in ones ability to tell the difference between the three types of milk, both girls guessed all three types correctly, whereas, only one boy did.

16. Conclusion Continued Even though my results show that most people can tell the difference between all types of milk, I think my data cannot be accepted as fact because my test-sample (number of people tested) was so small. I think I would need to test 100 – 500 people and analyze the results in order to be more sure of my conclusion. I would be sure to have equal numbers of males and females in the testing sample and try to have everyone between the ages of 11 and 15 to make sure age does not play a factor in one’s ability to distinguish taste. I have heard from an adult in their 40’s that you lose taste buds as you get older. This may effect my results if I did not take the tester’s age into account.

17. Conclusion Continued If I were to do my experiment again, I would gather data about each of my participants about their familiarity with each type of milk. This is a difference of which I have no way of knowing if it had an effect on my results. I would design a small survey to gather this data about each tester before putting them through the testing process. I could use this supplemental data to help me better interpret my results at the end and draw a more comprehensive conclusion.

18. Conclusion Continued In summary, I can conclude that most people can tell the difference between skim, 2%, and whole milk. This data would support why some people will only drink one type of milk. Many of my taste-testers described skim milk as being “disgusting”, which probably means they do not drink it on a regular basis.