Mould Growth

Flour tortillas have been a favourite bread item for spaceflight since 1985. The space shuttle galley does not have refrigeration for food storage; hence, all foods are stowed in locker trays at room temperature. Spoilage problems are encountered with commercial tortillas on spaceflight missions longer than seven days. A tortilla with a shelf life of six months was developed. Students can compare the growth of mould on tortillas and various types of bread. They can then graph the results.