PRESERVATION OF DEHYDRATED SOUP MIXTURE THE IMPACTS OF 

TEMPERATURE ON SHELF
LIFE 

A Science Investigatory Project Submitted as a

Requirement in Integrative Chemistry

Ateneo de Davao University – Junior High School

Matina, Davao City

By:

Alissa Amaikurut
Justin Ramos
Brian Estanislao
Franchezka Jebone

9 – St. Edmund Campion

 Ms. Joan Sayago
Project Adviser

February 2020

RESEARCH PLAN

Ch. I - INTRODUCTION

Names: Amaikurut, Alissa                                                                Section: 9- Campion

           Estanislao, Brian
           Jebone, Franchezka
  Ramos, Justin

Project title:  Effect of Temperature to the shelf life of the soup

A. Problem
How will temperature affect the shelf life of the soup?

B. Hypothesis
The lower the temperature, the longer the shelf life of the soup.
 
C.           (2A)   Description of Method of Procedure 

 To start off, gather all needed materials

 Prepare the following ingredients: 1/16 of a squash (kalabasa); 2 and ½ onions;
192 grams of spinach; 1 carrot; 30 grams of garlic; 15 grams. of salt; 15 grams of
pepper;  
 Prepare the following materials: 1 steel tray; parchment paper; an oven; 1 knife;
1 cutting board; food processor; cheap food containers such as jars, plastic
tupperware and etc. (optional) 

Mince and dice the veg into thin slices and place it on the steel rack in an oven for 6-8
hours. When done, put the dried vegetables inside the blender. Start and continue
blending and stop once it’s already turned into fine powder. Divide the fine powder into
3 equal parts and put each part in 3 containers. Label each container set-up A, set-up B
and set-up C. Put set-up A inside the refrigerator, specifically the chiller (2-7 °C). Put
set-up B inside the pantry where there’s a normal temperature( 20-25 °C). Put set-up C
outside where it can be hit by the sunlight. Check each set-up everyday by looking and
observing if there’s a difference in its appearance, consistency and its smell .Record
your observations.

 
D. Bibliography

*Store containers in a cool, dry and dark location. A temperature of 60 F or 15 C (or less) is
best. Exposure to light will degrade dried foods, so if you store jars out on your counter or
shelves, expect to use the food sooner rather than later.
 Dried fruits and herbs can be stored for up to a year.
 Dried vegetables and meats can be stored for up to six months.
 Store dried foods in the freezer if you'd like to use them over a longer period of time.
 If condensation appears inside one of the containers of your home-dried food, it needs to
be dried again.
 Store items so the older items are in front or on top so you can use them up while they
are still of good quality.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-store-home-dried-foods-1388331
https://youtu.be/-wkqTlFggBU
https://eatright.org>wellness
 
*Use Your Oven
 It's remarkably easy to dehydrate fruits and veggies in the oven. Just turn it to the lowest
setting, cut your fruit and veg into ¼ inch slices, and put them in the oven on a lined
sheet pan for as long as needed, usually 6 to 8 hours.

https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/dehydrate-food-without-dehydrator-
0161531/

(2B) EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND PROCEDURE 

Problem Will the temperature affect the shelf life of the soup?

Hypothesis The lower the temperature, the longer the shelf life of the soup.

Independent Oven was used in dehydration of our food product

Variable

Dependant Freshness of food given the exposed temperatures

Variable

Control Appearance and aroma of the food product

 Constant Amount of food in each container, same tray for dehydration,
number of containers used to store food product (plastic bags)
 
 Packaging
-Place all ingredients in their respective set-ups containers, labeled accordingly.

-Close all containers tightly and place in a cool, dry place.

Data Gathering and Procedure (2C)
Assuming you will take 4 weeks to do your experimentation, 
 During each week, you should be obligated to check how your experimentation
has affected your set-ups. Record data through observations made in your set-
ups.
 Observe and Record data for atleast 1-2 months.
 Use gathered data as a guideline for what is presented in your S.I.P document,
make sure it is not confusing and conflicting to follow.

 Ch. II - MAKING OF OUR PRODUCT (REVIEW OF RE

Ch. III - METHODOLOGY

Ingredients needed:
butternut squash ~150 grams (kalabasa)
onions ~50 grams
spinach ~190 grams
carrots 60 grams
garlic ~30 grams
salt ~15 grams
pepper ~15 grams

Materials needed:
steel tray
parchment paper
oven
knife
cutting board
food processor
Spatula
Cheap food containers (optional)
(side note: stand-ins are zip-lock bags) (costly)
METHODOLOGY:
1.Gather all materials needed
2.preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius (for 30 minutes)
3.Mince vegetables
4.Mix into a large bowl
5.Spread on steel tray (with parchment paper)
6.Season the vegetables on tray, and mix the seasoning into the vegetables (preferably
with clean hands)
7.Place into oven for 2 hours
8.Check and stir every 15 minutes to make sure the vegetables don't burn when being
dehydrated.
9.Once dehydrated pulse blend the mix
10.Ratio product in similar amounts in different containers

Ch. IV - EXPERIMENTATION (DATA & INTERPRETATION)

OBSERVATION OF CHARACTERISTICS;

Set-up A - Was exposed to sunlight (High Temp.)

Set-up B - Was exposed to refridgeration (Low Temp.)

Set-up C - Was exposed to a dry cabinet (Room Temp.)

Set- Presence of Mold Color, Moisture and Smell

ups

  W1 W2 W3 W4  

A non none non non   The insides of the container have gotten moist, around
e e e week 2

B non none non non Normal, strong odor.

e e e

C non none non non Normal, strong odor.

e e e
SET-UP A: (high temp.)

    Week Presence of Color Moisture Smell

s Mold

Week 1 no changes no changes no changes

none

Week 2 slightly darker in started to gain no changes

none color Moisure

Week 3 maintained its darker Maintained its   no

none color moisture changes

Week 4 maintained its darker Maintained its no changes

none color moisture

SET-UP B: (low temp.)

Presence of Mold Color Moisture Smell

     Weeks

Week 1 no changes no changes no changes

none

Week 2 no changes no changes no changes

none

Week 3 no changes no changes no changes

none

Week 4 no changes no changes no changes

none

SET-UP C: (normal room temp.)

      Weeks Presence of Mold Color Moisture Smell

Week 1     no changes
        none  no changes no changes

Week 2           no changes

none  no changes   no changes

Week 3     no changes

none  no changes   no changes

Week 4            no changes

none no changes   no changes

Ch. V - DATA ANALYSIS

According to the data gathered, in all three set-ups with differing temperatures, (High, Low, and
Room Temp.) changes were noticeable in set-up A. Basically, exposure to sunlight drew out
moisture from the set-up (A) and due to the exposure to high humidity, the set-up released
moisture on Day 1 of Week 2 which is not ideal because moisture allows micro organisms to
inhabit our dehydrated food. In Set-up B, though there’s no difference in color, the set-up did
start getting coarser in texture, according from the “Disadvantages of Freezing” an article from
delishably.com, nutrients are lost in the freezing process meaning that even if the set-up does
end up lasting long, the nutrients that the elders should gain from their soup will not last in
refrigeration.

 No differing odor, color and no appearance of molds appeared on set-up C, The proponents
are trying to make sure that the set-ups are as safe as possible to be able to provide good
quality food products to the elderly, with a long-lasting shelf life. Though we will admit, we will
still have to work on the taste of the product a bit more without decreasing its nutritional value.
We have interviewed most of the elders during our time at the institution and generally, we’ve
found that the elders like vegetables. So, that is why the proponents have conducted an
experiment based on what the elders want, in their case, soup with mainly vegetables as
ingredients to be able to satisfy the wants of the elders to have food that tastes good.

Ch. VI - CONCLUSION

Through our experimentation, we can say that our product is most sustainable at normal room
temperature as there are no changes in color, odor, and no appearance of molds in that set
up(C) as of now, while having to maintain its nutrients. Moisture is also a factor in affecting the
shelf life of the product. our ideal product, before adding of water, should be grainy or sand like,
which means that it is safe for the elders to eat, and has a decent shelf life. We, as a group, are
still looking to be able to see what we can do about the taste of our dehydrated food mixture.
According to our research, it states that if a product has undergone the stages of dehydration,
(especially coming out from an oven) the taste will be very different from the original taste of the
fruit/vegetable that has been dehydrated. So, what we had to do was find a way that can make
the food that we've preserved taste better. In conclusion, we had to be able to make the food
taste better for the elderly and we had to be able to make sure that the goods we are producing
can be beneficial to our institution. We also needed to follow the necessary safety precautions
to be able to make our good as safe as humanly possible and that the community has a chance
of being satisfied by the product that we have made. Most importantly, from our experiment, we
conclude that the shelf life of our dehydrated product can and will be affected by the
temperature of its environment.If the temperature is too high, the product itself may sweat, and
will cause the product to become moist (meaning microorganisms will have the ability to inhabit
the product). Too low/ refrigerated temperature will cause the product to slowly lose its nutrients
which is not ideal for the elders at our institution. This is why the product should stay at room
temperature (in a cool, dry place) to further extend the food product's shelf life.

Ch. IIV - RECOMMENDATIONS

The members of Group 5 - 9 Campion, have several suggestions to create a more successful
creation of your food product, If you are using this study as one of your bases of information for
your S.I.P in the following years. 

To create a successful food product and experiment, first you have to decide the food product
then list all ingredients and materials you will be using for making your food product and your
plans for your experiment, create a question that can be answered through your
experimentation. Also please, make sure that you research about the food product that you are
going to make. Make sure that it is simple enough to be able to follow, make sure that your
product contains the appropriate nutrition for your assigned institution, for example, We are
assigned to the Missionaries of Charity, an institution whose residents are mainly elders, which
is why the class mainly chose primarily food products that didn’t require much chewing or non at
all. Remember that the food product made, will be used by the institution in case of any natural
disasters or crisis. Experimentation should be planned and done in an ample amount of time, to
ensure success. You can experiment with different types of food products, just make sure that
the ingredients used can be preserved for a long period of time, before use. Make sure that your
food product is also profitable, and can be used for your institution to gain profit, this can be
done through modifying the ingredients used, to be able to appeal to customers. The base for
your food products, your ingredients, can also make or break your entire S.I.P / product,
remember, you are doing this to help the less fortunate, please make sure that your actual food
product taste good enough to be passable.

Other suggestions :

-products should mainly stay at room temperature, as the extreme highs and lows we’ve tested,
seem to be fatal to the shelf life of our product, as long as the preserved food stays at a cool
temperature, in a dark place, 

 -we need to use cheaper containers such as the used ones by other groups from (baker's
basket baking supplies) this not only benefits any group, this also benefits the institution to not
spend much in terms of buying packaging containers/ sustainable storage containers that are
airtight.

 -as much as possible, use an oven to dehydrate the vegetables. this is helpful to the elders as,
at the institution, though they are getting proper meals every day, they still might lack the
nutrients they need on that certain day, this is good because If they were to sun-dry the
ingredients we've used, certain UV rays draw out the nutrients of the vegetable/fruit.

 -use fresh vegetables to increase the shelf life of the soup mix. this tip is great for the
institution, as they can stockpile as much of this as possible to save it for natural disasters. -find
spices that positively affect the taste of the product without affecting the nutritional value of the
product.

 -find common ingredients that are easy to dehydrate. the ingredients that we've used are
accessible to the institution as there is a market close by, where our ingredients can be bought. 

Group 5- Amaikurut, Estanislao, Jebone, Ramos

Grade 9- Campion
ET #3- SIP Proposal

I. Introduction
A. Background
The Missionaries of Charity, located at Bangus St., Agdao, serves as a shelter
for the aged. The aged are in this facility for them to be taken good care of because
they’re abandoned There are 30 male elders and 31 female elders. They are given
proper facilities such as wheelchairs, comfort rooms and medicines. The ages of the
elders range from 50 years old and above. There are a total of 17 social workers.

The elders face a lot of health problems. Some of these include Diabetes, High
Blood Pressure and osteoporosis or having brittle bones. Due to these, the elders have
a lot of food restrictions. Because of these health problems, the sisters and the social
workers have a harder time in taking care of them. There are also times wherein they
experience food shortage.
 
Our SIP is about how we can make disaster food, how we can lengthen the shelf
life of our chosen disaster food. The problem we came up with is “How will the
temperature affect the shelf life of the soup powder?”. We made this SIP to be able to
help in supporting the missionaries of charity who are suffering from food shortage, or to
provide support, If it so happens that a disaster will strike.

 
B. Significance of the Study

         We chose to focus on this problem because through this study, we get to see the
ideal temperature that the product must be under so that its shelf life is longer. Also,
through this study, we can give the elderly a nice alternative incase they undergo food
shortage or other possible casualties. It will suffice them for a long time if we get to
identify the ideal temperature. We basically chose to respond to these health problems
so that we can help the elderly.
         This study is responsive to the problem we are assigned to which is to have an
ideal emergency food for the aged and how it can be preserved for a long time. It can
help address it because it is easy for them to consume and it’s ideal for them since it
contains needed nutrients to address their health issues (diabetes ,high blood pressure,
etc.). This is a good emergency food for the elderly.

         This study could give the members of the community a little knowledge about
how our little project can positively benefit them. In this way we can help them be aware
of the positive effects of our project. Through this, they’ll be encouraged to be part of it.