Rotting Fruits

I recently completed an experiment where I sealed banana and mandarin orange peels into a jar for 45 days. The outcome was unexpected.

Observing the results, I noticed:

• The structure of the peels lost “integrity”; they lost rigidity and became quite soft, even appearing mushy
• The humidity inside the jar increased, evidenced by the condensation on the interior walls.
• A pressure differential between the internal and external environment was suggested by periodic and noticeable ‘clicks’ as the lid changed shape in response to changes in internal pressure
• The peels lost their original colour and began to converge towards a deep brown
• Liquid formed on the bottom of the jar

What I did not see was any sign of mould. This surprised me, although in retrospect I suspect it was because the jar was sealed preventing access by airborne spores, fungi and yeasts.

From these observations I might conclude that It is possible to create an independent micro environment, allowing its “inhabitants” to proceed on a course of action that is divergent from the norms of the external world. In isolation from the physics of the normal world, one is freed from its rules and constraints. In that universe there is no mould, just slow decay into a brown, slimy mush, emitting its own noxious gasses, much like a swamp.