REVIEWER IN BIOLOGY

Industrial microbiology
 uses microorganisms, typically grown on a large scale, to
produce valuable commercial products
Biocatalysis

 the chemical process through which enzymes or other

biological catalysis perform reactions between organic
components
Properties of a Useful Industrial Microbe
 produces spores or can be easily inoculated
 grows rapidly on a large scale in inexpensive medium
 provides desired product quickly
 should not be pathogenic
 amenable to genetic manipulation
Primary Metabolite

 produces during exponential growth

 example: alcohol
Secondary Metabolite

 produced during stationary phase

 Fermentation Products
Fermentation

 chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or

other microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and
giving off heat
Aerobic Respiration

 requires the presence of oxygen

Anaerobic Respiration

 absence of oxygen
Bacterial Fermentation
a) Lactic Acid Bacteria ( pickles, sauerkraut )
b) Acetic Acid Bacteria ( vinegar )
c) Carbon Dioxide Bacteria ( edam, gouda, swiss )
d) Proteolytic Bacteria ( cocoa, chocolate )
Yeast Fermentation

 best temperature: 27`C

 sugar + yeast = alcohol and CO2
Mold and Enzyme Fermentation

 enzymes in mold can be useful

 break down cellulose thus grains easier to chew
 add flavor and texture to cheese
Wine

 fermentation of grapes
 dates back to Middle East 3000 BC
Coffee

 fermented by bacteria and enzymes

 Wet Method – soaked for 12-24 hours and dried

 Dry Method – washed then dried for 2-3 weeks
Tea

 3000 AD and cultivated by China

Chocolate

 enzyme fermentation in the sum via proteolytic bacteria

Upstream Processing – production
Downstream Processing – purification
Glycolysis

 part of alcoholic fermentation where glucose is broken down

to form 2 pyruvate molecules yeast
 Microbial Growth
 microbes grow in CELLS not size
 one cell becomes colony of millions of cells
Factors affecting microbial growth

 Temperature
 O2
 pH
 Osmotic Pressure
 Radiation and Atmospheric Pressure

 Psychrophiles - cold loving

 Mesophiles - moderate temperature loving
 Thermophiles - heat loving
Acidophiles

 acid loving
Alkaliphiles

 alkaline loving
Optimum Growth

 temperature is usually near the top of the growth range

Enzyme Activation

 death above the max temperature comes from this

 Obligate Anaerobes – dependent on oxygen for growth
 Facultative Anaerobes - can use oxygen but also grow without
 Obligate Anaerobes – die in the presence of O2

Helicobacter Pylori

 Flora of the gastrointestinal tract that lives in the stomach

that causes ulcer

 Lag Phase – making new enzymes in response to new medium

 Log Phase – exponential growth
 Stationary Phase – nutrients become limiting or waste products
become toxic
 Death Phase – death exceeds division, in this phase the
exponential decrease in the number of viable cells
Generation Time

 The time required for cells to divide/for population to double

n= number of generation ( should not have decimals )
Nt= final concentration of cells
No= original concentration of cells
T= time of exponential growth
G= generation time
n= (log Nt – log No) Nt= No x 2(n) < exponent
2
G= t/n t= g(n)
 Microbial Ecology
 study of numerous interrelationships between
microorganisms and the world around them
Ecology

 scientific study of interactions among organisms and their

environment
Symbiosis

 defined as the living together in more or less intimate

association or close union of two dissimilar organisms
Symbionts

 organisms that live together in such relationships

 Neutralism – neither symbionts are affected by the relationship

 Commensalism – one benefit, the either is neither helped or
harmed
 Mutualism – both benefit from each other
 Parasitism – one benefit at the expense of the other,
sometimes without killing it
 Synergism – two or more organizations produce a combined
effect greater than the sum of their separate effects
 Indigenous Microflora
 microbes that live in the body for a long period of time
 “normal flora”
 bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses
Resident Microflora

 life-long members of the body’s normal microbial community,

but not found everywhere
Transient Microflora

 just passing through and are unable to remain in the body

Opportunistic Pathogens

 resident and transient microbes can cause diseases when

an opportunity arises
 immune system not working properly
 balance of normal microbes is disrupted
 when they go to an axenic body part
Advantages

 they constitute a protective host defense mechanism by

occupying ecological niches
Disadvantages

 when individuals become immunocompromised or

debilitated
 when they change their usual anatomic location