Uses for microorganisms

Microorganisms play an important role in many fields of human

activity, providing products or services such as:
-breakdown of human waste

Food production Pharmaceutical products Bioremediation Microbial mining

Enzymes Biochemicals Symbionts Research tools
Pesticides Wastewater treatment / Climate control Biogeochemical cycles

gasrate
Composting cooperative
with
Aesthetics
relationships manage - human

production
CO2
02
 Fermentation in Food
Processing

~easts

Fermentation: Microbial activity converts carbohydrates into lactic acids or

alcohol, under anaerobic conditions. The low pH, or the alcohol produced
during fermentation prevents the growth of spoilage organisms.
store without
fredge
-
 Foods made by fermentation:
low pH stops
dentalof
discovery
Dairy products spoilage
microorgs could
that ferment milk
Cheeses
Streptococcus lactis
Leuconostoc sp.
Lactobacillus cremoris
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Penicillium roquefortii
Penicillium camembertiI
Kefir fungi-proteases softencheese
Streptococcus lactis

↳
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Candida spp.
Yoghurt
Streptococcus thermophilus
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Foods made by fermentation:
Meat products
preserved by fermentation
2

Salami
Pediococcus cerevisiae
Lactobacillus plantarum

Cured Hams
Aspergillus spp.
Penicillium spp.
fungi
~
curet
presence
meet
Fish sauces -> termented
Bacillus spp.
(halophiles)
-

a loving
 Foods made by fermentation:
process as Plant products
we know

pickling Fermentation by Lactobacillus

Olives
Lactobacillus plantarum

Pickles
Pediococcus cerevisiae
Lactobacillus plantarum
Sauerkraut
Lactobacillus plantarum
Lactobacillus mesenteroides
 Foods made by fermentation:
Plant products krn pyrwab
supply yeastr Fermentation by Yeasts - into al
with sug
Broduces and CO2
to
Bread ↑ ↳ C02 ->
cauier,bead
Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Sourdough bread
Saccharomyces exiguus
Lactobacillus sanfrancisco
porlack and

Miso
-sharpness &
audity
Saccharomyces rouxii
Aspergillus oryzae
fungus cent
-

Soy sauce
Saccharomyces rouxii yeast
Aspergillus oryzae
Aspergillus soyae fungi
Lactobacillus delbrueckii
↳
acidity tarkness
+
 Foods made by fermentation:
Plant products
bemen
consaChocolate
Other Fermentation products

↳ Candida krusei
Geotrichum spp.
not
beams Coffee
fermented
Erwinia dissolvens
but
Saccharomyces spp.
the
outside ofbear
IS 40

separate
auter
from
bean
Chocolate Production
Cocoa is the dried and
partially fermented seed of
the cacao tree.
Cocoa processing converts
beans to liquor, butter, cake
and powder.
Cocoa liquor is used to
make chocolate by adding
cocoa butter. Adding sugar,
condensed milk or cream,
emulsifying agents and
flavours in different
proportions makes different
types of chocolate.
 Coffee Production

You can make coffee the old way, or

you can feed the beans to civets, and
extract the beans from the civet
scats…this makes Kopi Luwak, the
most expensive coffee in the world.
 Fermenting plant sugars plants full
makes bubbe) after ofsugars
Beer
202
4Champagne
d
Saccharomyces carlsbergensis Saccharomyces cerevisiae 3)Starch
purity
a

reed to /
Ale to getzonsisten
Saccharomyces cerevisiae beer
Brandy, Whiskey
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
rye, wheat
.

Sake flaber. Rum take sarc

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Wild yeasts or
sugar buse
Aspergillus oryzae yeasts to
Vinegar
ferment into
Wine Acetobacter spp. alcohol
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gluconobacter spp.
 Do animals get drunk…..?
There is a story that African animals get drunk on fermenting fruits
of the Marula tree. It’s probably not true, and the video link below
was probably staged by feeding animals with alcohol soaked food….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIDJ-sTuoO8
 Microorganisms for dinner:
IS
everoning cooperatul Pizza
here
microbial or Cheese
Bread microbes
with what most of Streptococcus
Saccharomyces cerevisiae you creating lactis
is microbial
Lactobacillus
cremoris
Lactobacillus
bulgaricus
Mushrooms
Agaricus bisporus

Salami
Pediococcus pickled
cerevisiae Olives
↑

Lactobacillus Lactobacillus
plantarum plantarum
 majority
vast

ofmicroorganisms
de
really valleabl
good,not
$)

dangerous.
 Harvesting microbial enzymes
Enzymes are a valuable part of many industrial and medical processes.
Almost all commercial enzymes are obtained from microorganisms.
Examples of microbial enzymes and their applications:
Ceasy to
grow
in
big
vats

Pectinase enzymes from the fungi Aspergillus niger

and Sclerotina libertina are used to clarify fruit juices
so its not
cloudy from pectin

aggres-re
age
Cellulase from Trichoderma
is used for treating blue jeans
Jeans demade to cellulose
 Microbial enzymes
have ae-Proteins
Moststains we

Ifatsoils
parches

cold adapted microorganisms

work well atcold temps
So enzymes
Enzymes such as proteases, lipases, and amylases are purified from
microorganisms that live in cold temperatures. These enzymes are active in the
cold, and so work well in cold-water laundry detergent.
 Microorganisms and Pharmaceuticals
Many microorganisms synthesise and secrete compounds that, in high concentrations,
are toxic to other microorganisms. These compounds are called antibiotics.
backend
-because directed ax oxier
Generic name Source Action cells 10

Penicillins Penicillium spp.

not +x2fOr US
Inhibits cell wall synthesis
constantly
Erythromycin Strep. erythreus Inhibits 50S ribosome competing
with
Chloramphenicol Strep. venzuelae Inhibits translation
eachother so
Streptomycin Strep. griseus Inhibits 30S ribosome want to slow
Tetracycline Strep. aureofaciens Inhibits t-RNA binding darn growth
of others

acquiereses
pathogens
-
mutaton of genes or
Resistance to antibiotics is now a major health problem
Gillings 2013. Evolutionary consequences of antibiotic use for the resistome, mobilome and microbial pangenome. Frontiers in Microbiology,
4, 4; Gillings et al 2017. Genomics and the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1388: 92-107.
 Biochemicals from Microorganisms
Amino acids: Animals cannot synthesise some amino acids, and these must
be obtained in diet. Worldwide production of amino acids from microorganisms

I
is some 400,000 tons per year.
plant food doesnt
supply
in

humans have 8 correct ratios

alone
I
fixby
supplementing
food
with
At
that I

missing
 Biochemicals from Microorganisms
Steroids: Are difficult to chemically synthesise or purify. Valuable steroids
such as cortisone (anti-inflammatory), estrogens and progesterone (in oral
contraceptives) can be more easily synthesised from plant sterols using microbial
species. T
Skeletonof stead
God to microbial specks
S
purity from
microbial
culture

plant sterol steroid

Streptomyces sp.
 Biochemicals from Microorganisms
youcomplex to synthesise
Vitamins: Are microbially synthesised where chemical methods are too
expensive. B12 (10,000 kg) is purified from Propionibacterium shermanii or
Pseudomonas denitrificans. Riboflavin is produced by the yeast Ashbya gossypi.
Vitamin C (35,000 tons per year) is made by Acetobacter suboxydans
(acetic acid Important for indestrial processes
-

leman
mafic

Propionibacterium Vitamin B12

Vegemite recycles the yeast waste left over after brewing: It’s full of B vitamins!
 Sewage treatment time
by next
it
goicosial
village,
action creand up.
/
In the past, disposal of untreated waste water (from washing and toilets) was
commonly achieved by direct disposal into rivers or streams.
Free flowing, aerated streams can self purify, but the quantity of water and solid
matter discharged by cities (1000s of tons per day) overwhelms such natural
regeneration.
 Sewage treatment
To deal with sewage, most cities undertake sewage treatment. This
treatment consists of three stages:
Primary Treatment: Large floating materials are screened out, skimmers are used
to remove floating oil and grease, and sediment and grit are allowed to settle out. In
a second settling tank, more solids settle out as “primary sludge”. This removes up
to 60% of the suspended solids.
 ~left over water
Secondary Treatment: Effluent from the primary sedimentation tanks undergo
aeration in an activated sludge system or a trickle filter system. Microbial activity
oxidises the organic matter. The remaining secondary sludge is sent to a sludge
digestion tank where anaerobic microorganisms break decompose the organic
&
waste to generate methane. can be burnt to generate power

Tertiary treatment: Removes all

remaining nitrogen, phosphorous and
organic matter. It is mainly dependent
on physical and chemical treatments
not biological process
 Sewage treatment

& R

⑤
 Methane generation Greenhe e

burning methane-product
Sewage treatment plants and landfill disposal sites both generate
large quantities of methane via microbial activity. The methane
can be used to power the facilities.
 Bioremediatiom
Microorganisms are able to break down intractable wastes and
pollutants into harmless compounds. This process is called
bioremediation when organisms are purposely used in this way.

really
arron oxi
Broducts
into

/202 420
x

-
spray fertiliser on oil ->
Oil spills can be broken down by bacteriamghanisms
akowed,
 Bioremediatiom

Composting relies on complex communities of

microorganisms and invertebrates
 goodasan
bills
Microbial Mining in
Low grade copper ore or can be mined using the microorganism
Solubilisecopper
Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. more into
holding pond
-

I
precipitate
The
copper
Out
k
harvest

Dump leaching operations at Bingham Canyon copper mine operation near Salt Lake City,
&
Utah. 11% of copper production in the USA is obtained using microbial mining
-
probably higher now in future increase
 Microbial symbionts
Most larger organisms depend on symbioses with microorganisms for their survival.
Herbivores: Animals lack the enzyme cellulase to break down the cellulose which
is the major component of plants. All herbivores contain symbiotic microorganisms
in their gut to digest this cellulose. cellulose
glucose
ferentso
fatty acid
b
absorbed
by digeste
system
of
herbivore

natrition
 Terrestrial Plants fungusout
↑
Most terrestrial plants have obligate symbioses with fungi. These
fungi form associations with roots called mycorrhiza. Mycorrhiza
are the major organs of nutrient uptake in terrestrial ecosystems,
and are particularly important in uptake of water and phosphorus.
Clover root Stained fungal tissue major way plants
&
Inside up nutrents
take

fungal materal inside roots

 Global nutrient cycles
Drie
Microorganisms are major players in the cycling of essential
nutrients.
movement of elements around planet/organisms
Nitrogen: Although 80% of our atmosphere is nitrogen gas, this is not
available for use by animals or plants. Bacteria such as Rhizobium can fix
nitrogen, by converting nitrogen gas into ammonia.
↳>absorbed plants - animals

Sulfur: Bacteria interconvert various forms of sulfur. Plants and animals

can basically only absorb sulfate and convert it into the sulfhydryl (SH) of
groups of proteins. Sulfur -> sulfate cystine

Carbon: Many polymeric carbon compounds, such as cellulose, can only

be broken down by microorganisms. carboncycledependenton
mater
microcrys peaking down plant
carbon comporners from
+
Oxygen: Large quantities of oxygen are liberating
generated by photosynthetic cellulose
microorganisms, especially in the upper layers of the oceans.