In a study conducted by the Department of Human Nutrition and Foods at Virginia Tech, the following data were recorded on sorbic acid residuals, in parts per million, in ham immediately after dipping in a sorbate solution and after 60 days of storage:

Sorbic Acid Residuals in Ham

Slice Before Storage After Storage

1 224 116

2 270 96

3 400 239

4 444 329

5 590 437

6 660 597

7 1400 689

8 680 576

For the above study, carry out an appropriate statistical analysis that will help address the research interests of the researchers above based on this data. Summarize your analysis and conclusions in a couple paragraphs. Be sure to:

Name the test you conduct

Mention any assumptions on which the test you conduct is based

Describe how you conducted the test (i. e. mention null and alternative hypotheses, decision rule, report test statistic, critical value, alpha, degrees of freedom)

Include descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations)

Summarize your statistical conclusion in the words of the problem as precisely as possible (describe the direction of effect, and be specific about contextualizing the result… in other words, don’t overgeneralize!)

Speculate on the implications of the statistical analysis for the research questions/interests of the researchers