Flowers and Food Coloring By: Danielle deLisi

Does food coloring have an effect on the life span of a flower? The Question….. Does food coloring have an effect on the life span of a flower?

Background and Preparation Elementary school project Prom Quantifying death? Linda’s By Design

Dyes and Lakes Dyes dissolve easily in water. Beverages, baked goods, pet foods and a variety of products. Lakes are excellent for coloring products that contain fat and oils. Tablets, cakes, doughnuts, hard candy and chewing gum. (http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/8134foodcoloring.html)

The Project 15 White Roses 15 ShopRite clear plastic cups Badia Food Coloring- red, yellow, green, blue 4 colors and 1 control group Test time- 1 week

Procedure Label cups Add water- bottom-most line Add food coloring- 3 drops Cut roses Put roses in cups Take picture observe

Hypothesis Roses that have added food coloring in their water will lose their petals faster than roses without anything added to the water.

Day 1 12 hour difference Already showing color Flowers open up

Day 2 Green/Blue speckled top Blue #1, Green #1, Yellow #3

Day 3 Curling Petals Blue #1&3, Green #1-3, Yellow #3, Red #2-3

Day 4 Greater tint shows more speckle Flowers opening All show speckle Flowers opening Yellow #3 browning

Day 5 Blue #2 not coloring as fast Yellow #3 has yellow/brown tips Red #2 petals curling

Day 6 Control petals begin to curl Green & Blue petals still curling

Day 7 Red/Yellow vs. Green/Blue Fraying Browning Smooth vs. speckled

Red Flowers Yellow Flowers Green Flowers Blue Flowers Control Flowers

Unaccounted Variables Roses not in same stages of bloom Water level, refill or not? Time Restraint Amount of light Mold

Cut Flowers and the Mold Cut flowers create air bubbles Block xylem Flower preservatives Biocides- kill bacteria Stops blockage of xylem (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/latest-questions/question/2963/)

Conclusion Colored flowers appear to brown faster, but due to unsure development of original flowers it is not definite. Flowers that were more open at the beginning of the experiment absorbed color faster and had more speckling towards the top of the petals.

Does Food Coloring Effect Plant Mood? Artificial food colors can cause depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder (ADD) persist. Certain European countries have made the use of FD & C colors illegal. (http://topics.wisegeek.org/topics.htm?artificial-food-coloring#)

More Questions….? Does stem height effect absorption of water/color? Does the amount of petals affect the rate of coloring? (Daisies) Does concentration, amount of dye vs. water, effect longevity of flower or rate of absorption?

More Questions…? Why were red and yellow more evenly colored then green and blue which were speckled? Do flowers in different stages absorb at different rates? Would mixing dyes effect on the coloring of the flower? Red+Blue vs. Purple dye

Bibliography Castor-Perry, Sarah. "Science Questions." What Biological Process Causes Flowers to Wilt? The Naked Scientists, Mar. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/latest- questions/question/2963/>. Ellis-Christensen, Tricia. "Artificial Food Coloring." WiseGEEK. Ed. O. Wallace. Conjecture Corporation, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://topics.wisegeek.org/topics.htm?artificial-food- coloring>. Gilman, Victoria. "C&EN: WHAT'S THAT STUFF? - FOOD COLORING." Chemical & Engineering News: Science & Technology 81.34 (2003): 34. C&EN: WHAT'S THAT STUFF? - FOOD COLORING. Chemical & Engineering News, American Chemical Society, 25 Aug. 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/8134foodcoloring.ht ml>.