Bacterial

nutrition
Prepared By:
Mrs. Pragya Prasad

Bacterial Nutrition
Bacterial cell has its principle
constituent as water(80%) of total
weight.
Rest is protein, polysaccharides, lipids,
nucleic acids, mucopeptides.

Minimum requirement for

growth & multiplication of
bacteria

Water
A source of carbon
Nitrogen
Inorganic salts
Water is the vehicle for the entry of all
nutrients into cell and elimination of water.

Classification
Phototrophs : derive energy from
sunlight
Chemotrophs : obtain energy from
chemical reactions
: synthesize all organic
Autotrophs
compounds
Heterotrophs : unable to synthesize and
depend on performed organic
compounds.

Bacterial requirements

Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Temperature
Moist & drying
H-ion concentration
Light
Osmotic effect
Mechanical and sonic stress

Oxygen requirement
Division is based on influence of oxygen into
growth.
Aerobic: require o2 for growth
Anaerobic: growth in absence of oxygen
Microaerophilic: grow best in low o2 tension.
Facultative anaerobes: ordinarily aerobic but
can grow in absence of oxygen.
Aerobic obtain energy through oxidation
Anaerobes use hydrogen than oxygen

CO2
All require small amount of Co2
Requirement usually met by co2 in
atmosphere

Temperature
Bacteria vary in requirement of temperature for
growth
For each species there is a temperature range and
growth does not occur above maximum or below
minimum
Optimum temperature: temperatute at which growth
occurs best(370C)
Mesophilic: Bacteria grow best at 25-40 0C.
Psychrophilic: grow best at temperature below 20 0C eg.
(-70C)
Thermophies: grow best at higher temperature.(55800C).
Extreme thermophilic bacteria can grow at 250 0C.
Thermal death point: lowest temperature that kills a
bacteria under standard condition in a given time.
At low temperature some species die rapidly but most
survive well.

Moist and drying

Water is essential to bacterial
protoplasm and drying is lethal
Treponema is highly sensitive to drying
while other withstand drying for
months.
Spore may survive in dry state for
several decades.

H-ion concentration
Bacteria are sensitive to variation in pH.
Each bacteria ahas a pH range, above or
below to that bacteria cant survive.
Optimum pH are at which bacteria
grows best.
Bacteria grows best at neutral or
slightly alkaline (pH-7.2-7.6.

Light
Bacteria (except phototropic) grow well
in dark.
They are sensitive to UV light and
radiations.
Cultures die if exposed to sunlight.

Osmotic effect
Bacteria are more tolerant to osmotic
variation than most other cells due to
strength of their cell wall.
Sudden exposure to hypertonic solution
may cause withdrawal of water and
shrinkage of protoplasm (plasmolysis).
Sudden transfer from a concentrated
solution to a distilled water may cause
plasmoptysis (excess osmotic inhibition
leading to rupture of cells.)

Mechanical and sonic stress

Bacteria have tough cell walls, they may
be ruptured by mechanical stress such
as grinding or vigorous shaking by glass
beads.

Thank you