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Amit
Amit
Amit
OF
INDUSTRIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL
MICROBIOLOGY
The antibiotic producing activity of a colony is indicated by no growth of any other bacterial colony in its
vicinity. This region of no growth is indicated by the formation of a clear and colorless area around the
antibiotic producing microorganism’s colony on the agar plate. This region is called as growth inhibitory zone.
Such a colony is isolated from the plate and purified either by making repeated sub-culturing or by streaking
on a plate containing a suitable medium, before stock culture is made. The purified culture is then tested for
its antibiotic spectrum.
However, the crowded plate technique has limited applications, as it will not give indication of antibiotic
producing organism against a desired organism. Hence, this technique has been improved later on by
employing a test organism to know the specific inhibitory activity of the antibiotic.
In this modified procedure, suitable serially diluted soil suspension is spread on the sterilized agar plate to
allow the growth of isolated and individual microbial colonies (approximately 30 to 300 per plate) after
incubation. Then the plates are flooded with a suspension of test organism and the plates are incubated
further to allow the growth of the test organism. The formation of inhibitory zone of growth around certain
colonies indicates the antibiotic activity against the test organism.
A rough estimation of the relative amounts of antibiotic produced by a microbial colony can be estimated by
measuring the diameter of the zone of inhibited test organism’s growth. Antibiotic producing colonies are
later on isolated from the plate and are purified before putting to further testing to confirm the antibiotic
activity of a microorganism.
(ii) Indicator Dye Technique:
Microorganisms capable of producing acids or amines from natural sources can be detected using this method
by incorporating certain pH indicator dyes such as neutral red or bromothymol blue into nutrient agar
medium. The change in the color of a particular dye in the vicinity of a colony will indicate the ability of that
colony to produce an organic acid or base.
Production of an organic acid can also be detected by an alternative method. In this method calcium
carbonate is incorporated into the agar medium. The production of organic acid is indicated by the formation
of a clear zone around those colonies which release organic acid into the medium.
The identified colonies are isolated and purified either by repeated sub-culturing or by streaking methods and
a stock culture is made which may be used for further qualitative or quantitative screening tests.
Casein Hydrolysis
Casein, the major milk protein, is a macromolecule composed of amino acid subunits linked together by peptide bonds
(CO—NH). It makes around 85% of the protein found in milk as well as the white color of milk. Casein is way too large to
enter the cell membrane. Before their assimilation into the cell, proteins must undergo step-by-step degradation into
peptones, polypeptides, dipeptides, and ultimately into their building blocks, amino acids. These are mediated by
extracellular enzymes called proteases. The function of these proteases is to cleave the peptide bond CO–NH by
introducing water into the molecule. The reaction then liberates the amino acids which are low-molecular in weight
which can be transported through the cell membrane for use in the synthesis of structural and functional cellular
proteins.
Objectives
Principle
Some microorganisms have the ability to degrade the casein protein by producing proteolytic exoenzyme, called
proteinase (caseinase). For demonstration of such an activity, in the lab, milk agar is used. The medium is composed of
nutrient agar supplemented with milk that contains the protein substrate casein. Similar to other proteins, milk protein
is a colloidal suspension that gives the medium its color and opacity because it deflects light rays rather than
transmitting them.
Following inoculation and incubation of the agar plate cultures, organisms secreting proteases will exhibit a zone of
proteolysis, which is demonstrated by a clear area surrounding the bacterial growth. This loss of opacity is the result of a
hydrolytic reaction yielding soluble, non-colloidal amino acids, and it represents a positive reaction.
In the absence of protease activity, the medium surrounding the growth of the organism remains opaque, which is a
negative reaction.
Media
SM powder 28.0gm/L, Tryptone 5.0gm/L, Yeast extract 2.50gm/L, Dextrose (Glucose) 1.0gm/L, Agar 15.0gm/L, Final pH
( at 25°C)
Method
Result Interpretation