 1: Characteristics of bacteria:

Bacteria Definition
Bacteria are single-celled prokaryotic organisms, that do not have organelles or a true nucleus and are less complex
than eukaryotic cells.

Bacteria are extremely numerous, and the total biomass of bacteria on Earth is more than all plants and animals
combined.

Characteristics of bacteria

1. Bacteria are single-celled organisms. They lack organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria, and they
do not have the true nucleus found in eukaryotic cells. Instead, their DNA is circular and located in a
nucleoid. The nucleoid is an irregularly shaped region that does not have a nuclear membrane.

2. Bacteria also have a cell membrane and a cell wall that is often made of peptidoglycan. Together, the cell
membrane and cell wall are referred to as the cell envelope.

3. Reproduction occurs through binary fission, which is the splitting of a bacterial cell after it reaches a certain
size. Bacteria reproduce asexually, so the two daughter cells that result from binary fission have the same
DNA as the parent cell

4. Bacteria come in different shapes. The three main shapes of bacteria are coccus, spiral, and bacillus.
Cocci are bacteria that are spherical or ovoid in shape.
Spiral bacteria are, as the name suggests, spiral-shaped
Bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria.
Bacteria can also be other shapes such as filamentous (long and thin), square, star-shaped, and stalked.
This diagram depicts the numerous shapes of bacteria.
  Industrial importance of bacteria:
Bacteria are used in industry in a number of ways that generally exploit their natural metabolic
capabilities.
They are used in manufacture of foods and production of antibiotics, probiotics, drugs, starter
cultures, insecticides, enzymes, fuels and solvents.

(1) In the foods industry, lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus,

Lactococcus and Streptococcus are used in the manufacture of dairy products such as cheeses,
including cottage cheese and cream cheese, cultured butter, sour cream, buttermilk and
yogurt.

Lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria are used in pickling processes such as olives,
cucumber pickles and sauerkraut. Bacterial fermentations are used in processing of teas,
coffee, soy sauce, sausages and an amazing variety of foods in our everyday lives.

(2) In the pharmaceutical industry, bacteria are used to produce antibiotics, vaccines, and
medically-useful enzymes.

Most antibiotics are made by bacteria that live in soil such as Streptomyces produce
tetracyclines, erythromycin, streptomycin and rifamycin
 2. Characteristics of algae:

1. Algae are eukaryotic organisms that have no roots, stems, or leaves but do have
chlorophyll and other pigments for carrying out photosynthesis.

2. Algae can be multicellular or unicellular.

3. The majority of algae live in aquatic habitats.

4. These organisms can thrive in freshwater lakes or in saltwater oceans. They can also survive a
range of temperatures, oxygen or carbon dioxide concentrations.

5. Free-floating, mostly unicellular algae that live within illuminated regions of water are known as
planktonic algae.

6. Those that adhere to surfaces are known as benthic algae.

7. Algae are also able to survive on land. Some unexpected places where they grow are tree trunks,
animal fur, snow banks, hot springs and in soil, including desert crusts.

8. algae are capable of photosynthesis and produce their own nourishment by using light energy from
the sun and carbon dioxide in order to generate carbohydrates and oxygen. However, there exist
certain algal species that need to obtain their nutrition solely from outside sources; that is, they
are heterotrophic.

 Industrial importance of algae:

Various phycocolloids extracted from algae, such as agar, alginic acid, are widely used in food processing,
paper making, textile industry, wine making, cosmetic industry, paint making, teeth modeling, printing,
sewage purification.

algae are also used to produce hydrocarbon (such as methane), which provides yet another new energy
source.
 3. Characteristics of fungi:
1. Some 100,000 species of fungi have been identified, but the true number is probably larger.
2. Eukaryotic
3. Decomposers – the best recyclers around
4. No chlorophyll – non photosynthetic
5. Most multicellular (hyphae) – some unicellular (yeast)
6. Non-motile
7. Cell walls made of chitin (kite-in) .
8. Are more related to animals than plant kingdom
9. Lack true roots, leaves and stems
10. Absorptive heterotrophs -Digest food externally and then absorb it
11. Not dependant on light
12. Can occupy dark habitats
13. Can grow in any direction
14. Can invade the interior of a substrate with absorptive filaments.

Industrial importance of fungi:

1. Many fungi are useful to humans and have been exploited both industrially and commercially.

2. The oldest and best known example is the use of yeasts performing fermentation in brewing, wine
making and bread making.
3. The use of yeast (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisae) to make alcohol and carbon dioxide uses the
fermentation process to break down sugars. Up to 50% of the sugar can be converted to alcohol.

4. In the beer making industry, cereal grains are fermented to make the final product.

5. Another way in which fungi are used industrially in the food industry is in cheese production.
Various cheeses are inoculated with Penicillium roquefortii to impart a strong and pungent flavor in
the resultant cheeses. Examples are Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton Blue and Danish Blue. The
white crust on the outside of the cheeses known as Brie and Camembert is the mycelium
of Penicillium camembertii. These strong flavors are a result of the fungus producing methyl
ketones.

6. Ergot alkaloids have a number of medicinal uses, the most widespread being migraine treatment.
The vasodilator activity reduces tension during an attack. These alkaloids are now produced
industrially in culture using strains of Claviceps.

7. Fungal food items are also produced on an industrial scale. For instance, edible mushrooms are
grown on large-scale farms.