Little Poland Fermentation: Krakowska Dry Sausage

Target Performance Expectation: HS-LS2-3: Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Part 1: Engage (Anchoring Phenomenon)

In New Britain, Connecticut, a neighborhood known as “Little Poland” is famous for its traditional foods, including Krakowska dry sausage. Making this sausage is a delicate process of fermentation. If the environmental conditions are just right, the sausage cures safely, developing a tangy flavor and a low pH that preserves the meat. If the conditions are wrong, the meat spoils quickly and becomes unsafe to eat.

What factors do you think control whether the meat ferments safely or spoils?

Write down at least two questions you have about the process of making Krakowska sausage: ___ _______

Part 2: Explore (Simulation Investigation)

In this simulation, you will adjust the environmental conditions to see how they affect two populations of microorganisms: Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and Spoilage Microbes.

Materials:

• Little Poland Fermentation Simulation

Instructions:

1. Open the Little Poland Fermentation simulation.
2. Note the three control variables available: Temperature (°C), Salt Concentration (%), and Oxygen (O₂) Level (%).
3. Run 1: High Oxygen Environment
   • Set Oxygen to 100%. Set Salt to 0%. Set Temperature to 30°C.
   • Click Start Fermentation.
   • Observe the graph over 30 days. Record the final population of LAB, Spoilage Microbes, and the final pH in the table below. Note the final safety status.
   • Click Reset.
4. Run 2: Ideal Fermentation Conditions
   • Traditional recipes use low oxygen (anaerobic), about 2.5% salt, and a cool temperature (around 20°C).
   • Set the variables to match these conditions.
   • Click Start Fermentation.
   • Record your results.
5. Run 3: Student Choice
   • Try one more combination of variables to see if you can find another way to make the sausage safe, or to see what happens when only one variable is wrong (e.g., anaerobic but high temperature).

Data Collection Table:

Part 3: Explain (Sensemaking)

Using the data you collected, answer the following questions:

1. Matter Rearrangement: All organisms take in matter to grow. In Run 1 (High O₂, high Temp, no Salt), which microbial population dominated? What evidence from the simulation shows that this population was actively rearranging matter and growing? _____

2. Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Respiration:
   • Which group of microbes (LAB or Spoilage) thrived when Oxygen was low (anaerobic conditions)?
   • Which group thrived when Oxygen was high (aerobic conditions)? _____

3. Energy Flow and Cycling: Cellular respiration releases energy that the cell uses for essential life processes. How did the changing environmental conditions (Salt, Temp, O₂) shift the flow of energy and the cycling of matter away from the spoilage microbes and toward the Lactic Acid Bacteria? _____

4. The Role of pH: As the Lactic Acid Bacteria grew, what happened to the pH of the sausage? Why is this drop in pH critical for the final safety of the product? _____

Part 4: Elaborate/Evaluate (Argumentation & Modeling)

Student Deliverable: Construct a final scientific explanation answering the question: How do environmental conditions determine the safe fermentation of Krakowska sausage?

Your explanation must include the following evidence and reasoning:

• State how energy from cellular respiration drives the cycling of matter in both the LAB and Spoilage microbe populations.
• Explicitly describe how anaerobic conditions (low O₂) favor Lactic Acid Bacteria over aerobic Spoilage microbes.
• Explain how the cells in the microbes use chemical reactions to rearrange matter and release energy for growth.

Write your explanation below: _____

Teacher Notes (For Educator Use Only)

Alignment to NGSS:

• Performance Expectation: HS-LS2-3
• Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs): Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
• Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs): LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
• Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs): Energy and Matter

Evidence Statements Addressed:

• 1.a.i: Energy from photosynthesis and respiration drives the cycling of matter and flow of energy under aerobic or anaerobic conditions within an ecosystem. (Students explain how conditions favor either aerobic spoilage or anaerobic LAB respiration).
• 1.a.ii: Anaerobic respiration occurs primarily in conditions where oxygen is not available. (Students manipulate O₂ levels to observe LAB dominating only in anaerobic environments).
• 2.a.i: All organisms take in matter and rearrange the atoms in chemical reactions. (Students identify population growth in the graph as evidence of matter being taken in and rearranged).
• 2.a.iii: Cellular respiration is the process by which the matter in food reacts chemically… to release energy used by the cell for essential life processes. (Students explain how the microbes utilize the meat for cellular respiration).

Estimated Time: 45 minutes

Extension Options

• Real-World Application: Research other culturally significant fermented foods (like Kimchi, Sauerkraut, or Kombucha) and identify the specific environmental conditions required to favor the beneficial microbes in those processes.
• Microbial Engineering: Design an experiment (hypothetically) to test how changing the type of sugar available in the meat mixture would affect the growth rate of Lactic Acid Bacteria compared to Spoilage Microbes.