Light your Bunsen burner! Test yogurt for contamination in a virtual lab, and judge whether the bacteria you find are harmful or beneficial.

Virtual Labs interactive food science modules train high school and college students in basic laboratory techniques.

Learn how to use Gram staining to differentiate beneficial bacteria from dangerous bacteria in food samples. Working in the virtual lab of a dairy processing plant, you analyze yogurt samples and follow step-by-step lab procedures to test for Salmonella and E. coli. Sterilize your inoculation loop, and prepare your slide, then view the sample under a microscope and observe the differences in appearance between beneficial bacteria and harmful bacteria. Virtual Labs: Gram Staining familiarizes the user with food science lab equipment and teaches standard techniques for this specific procedure. The interactive initially guides the user through each step of the lab process; then users prepare Gram stain slides on their own to find out for certain whether this batch of yogurt is safe.

This work was supported by USDA CSREES and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under two Higher Education Challenge Grant projects: 2008-38411-19055 and 2011-38411-30625. © 2008-2016 NMSU Board of Regents. Collaborating universities South Dakota State University, North Dakota State University and New Mexico State University are all equal opportunity/affirmative action employers and educators.