Austin recently appeared in The Flint Journal newspaper when the paper published an article about his science project.
Great job Austin! :2tumb:
Here's what they said:
New Page 1Fourth-grader's fries experiment a healthy lesson
Monday March 16, 2009, 3:50 PM
Ron Krueger | The Flint Journal
Austin Kimbrell, 9, holds a jar of mold-free fries in front of his science project display.
Austin Kimbrell says mold can be a good thing and can prove it.
The 9-year-old Flint Township boy, with the help of his mom and dad, conducted an experiment with restaurant french fries that turned into a science project.
They bought fries from 15 restaurants -- 12 chains and three independents. They let them cool and dry out, then they sealed them in canning jars and left the jars at room temperature.
For a "control," they put a hunk of raw potato in one jar.
They sealed all the samples last Nov. 30.
"The raw potato already had fuzz on it the second day and turned gray the next day," says Austin, a fourth-grader at Dye Elementary School in the Carman-Ainsworth district.
It was seven days before any of the restaurant fries showed any deterioration, he says in his report. Small white spots could be seen on some of the fries from the Red Robin sample.
It wasn't until Dec. 28 that any of the other samples showed any sign of breakdown, Austin wrote. "The Fuddruckers fries had mold that was dark green, orange and yellow."
By Jan. 26, the raw potato showed mold in four colors, there was liquid in the bottom of the jar and moisture coated the inside of the jar, he observed.
Austin wrapped up his project March 2. That day, he saw that the Fuddruckers and Red Robin fries were consumed in mold, as was the raw potato, which was moldy and all but shapeless.
None of the other samples had turned moldy, he reported.
His conclusions?
"It was interesting to me that the raw potato started to mold so fast.
"The preservatives that are in most fries aren't something we need in our bodies, plus the oils and fats that are also in them," Austin said.
He said he found that some restaurants that don't serve fries with preservatives season them with monosodium glutamate -- MSG. Some people can get very sick from eating just a little MSG, and nobody should eat very much, he added.
"I hope that people will learn that not all french fries are good for you. Also, that people need to watch what they eat and learn how to read ingredient labels," he wrote in his conclusion.
Austin added that he and his mom, Stacey, were able to find nutrition and ingredient information on the Internet for only three of the restaurants.
The McDonald's Web site says its fries include citric acid as a preservative and sodium acid pyrophosphate to "maintain color."
The company's Web site says a medium order of fries has 380 calories, 19 fat grams, 48 carbohydrate grams and 270 milligrams of sodium.
It also says a medium order contains 5 grams of fiber and four protein grams.
Stacey Kimbrell said her son's experiment has contributed to her family's overall effort to eat more healthily.
Added Austin: "I still miss fries, but not as much."
Austin Kimbrell and his project will be part of the annual Flint Area Science Fair Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Kettering University.
Hours are 2-8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday and Monday in the fifth-floor International Room of the Campus Center at West Third Avenue and Chevrolet Avenue.
