GALLANT IAS

BOTANY OPTIONAL

APPLICATIONS OF MICROBIOLOGY IN

INDUSTRY

UNIT - 1 - PAPER - I

Micro-organisms were used in industrial processes even before their existence was

known. The production of fermented beverages and vinegar, and the leavening of

bread are all traditional processes which have come down to us from time

immemorial. The discovery of micro-organisms with their multiplicity of highly

specific biochemical activities has stimulated a steady growth of industrial

fermentation processes. Perhaps the most famous of all industrial fermentations is that

of acetone-butanol production by Clostridium acetobutylicum.

THE PENICILLINS

One of the most dramatic fermentation stories of the century started in the late

twenties when Fleming recorded the effect of a stray mould, Penicillium notatum,

upon some of his pathogenic bacteria, a remarkable example of the application of

microbiology on the industrial scale.

Many other organisms are known to produce penicillins, including Aspergillus,

Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, and Cephalosporium species.

TETRACYCLINES

Oxytetracycline was first obtained from Streptomyces rimosus and chlortetracycline

from Streptomyces aureofaciens. The latter is normally used for commercial

1
GALLANT IAS, Melel Building, Thekkummoodu Junction, Opp Anadiyil
Hospital, Plamoodu, Pattom Post, Pin - 695004, Trivandrum, Ph - +91 9746035110
production and may be grown on a variety of media including corn steep liquor,

ground nut or soy bean meal.

Dextran

Dextran is a polysaccharide composed of glucose molecules and may be found in

slimy masses wherever sucrose is used. Sugar refineries and ham curing factories are

prone to trouble from dextran-forming bacteria. Dextran can also block pipelines,

make floors slippery, render food uneatable and beverages undrinkable. It has,

however, an important use in blood transfusion where it is employed as a blood

volume expander. Its application in this way is possible because it is relatively inert,

neither causing pyrogenic (i.e. raised body temperatures) nor allergic reactions and

will remain sufficiently long in the circulation to allow time for protein renewal in the

blood plasma. Leuconostoc mesenteroides is normally used for the production of

dextran.

Lactic Acid

This is one of several acids produced microbiologically on a commercial scale. Lactic

acid, in contrast, is produced by microaerophilic bacteria belonging to the genus

Lactobacillus. This acid is an odourless, colourless liquid having an acid flavour. It

is used in a variety of ways finding applications in the drinks industry as a

2
GALLANT IAS, Melel Building, Thekkummoodu Junction, Opp Anadiyil
Hospital, Plamoodu, Pattom Post, Pin - 695004, Trivandrum, Ph - +91 9746035110
flavouring, in the preservation of food as an adjunct or substitute for vinegar, and in

the form of calcium lactate as a convenient means of getting calcium into the body.

Other uses are in the plastics and leather industries.

Citric Acid

Citric acid, a tricarboxylic acid, is a natural constituent of a variety of fruits. Citric acid

is a commodity chemical, and more than a million tonnes are produced every year by

fermentation. It is used mainly as an acidifier, as a flavouring, preservative, and as a

chelating agent. In this production technique, which is still the major industrial route

to citric acid used today, cultures of Aspergillus niger are fed on a sucrose or glucose-

containing medium to produce citric acid.

Amino Acids

In the 1950s Corynebacterium glutamicum was found to be a very efficient producer

of L-glutamic acid. Since this time biotechnological processes with bacteria of the

species Corynebacterium developed to be among the most important in terms of

tonnage and economical value. L-glutamic acid and L-lysine are bulk products now

days. L-valine, L-isoleucine, L-threonine, L-aspartic acid and L-alanine are among

other amino acids produced by Corynebacteria. Applications range from feed to food

and pharmaceutical products. The growing market for amino acids produced with

Corynebacteria led to significant improvements in bioprocess and downstream

technology as well as in molecular biology. During the last decade big efforts were

made to increase the productivity and to decrease the production costs.

The organism commonly used in the manufacture of glutamic acid is a

Corynebacterium sp. but strains of the genera Brevibacterium, Micrococcus,

Microbacterium, have also been used.

3
GALLANT IAS, Melel Building, Thekkummoodu Junction, Opp Anadiyil
Hospital, Plamoodu, Pattom Post, Pin - 695004, Trivandrum, Ph - +91 9746035110
4
GALLANT IAS, Melel Building, Thekkummoodu Junction, Opp Anadiyil
Hospital, Plamoodu, Pattom Post, Pin - 695004, Trivandrum, Ph - +91 9746035110
Vitamins

Out of all vitamins now available commercially, vitamin B12 and vitamin B2

(riboflavin) is the main that are produced by microbial fermentations.

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamine; Cobalbumin)

This vitamin is recovered as a by-product of streptomycin and aureomycin antibiotic

fermentations. A soluble cobalt salt is added to the fermentation reaction as a

precursor to vitamin B12. Relatively high amount of this vitamin accumulate in the

fermentation medium at concentration that are not toxic to Streptomyces species.

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamine) is also produced on large scale by direct

fermentation. Propionibacterium shermanii or Pseudomonas denitrificans are the

bacteria which are used now a day for fermentation processes.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) is recovered as a by-product of acetone butanol fermentation

and is produced by various Clostridium species. But, Eremothecium ashbyii and

Ashnua gossypii, the yeasts that are used to commercially produce this vitamin by

direct fermentation.

Enzymes

Microbial enzymes are most widely used in the food and beverage industries and to

a lesser extent in clinical and analytical laboratories and as protease detergents in

washing powders. The most economical and convenient method of producing these

enzymes is by microbial fermentation. Bacillus stearothermophilus produces

amylases as secondary metabolites, but most other microbes produce enzymes as

primary metabolites, during exponential growth.

5
GALLANT IAS, Melel Building, Thekkummoodu Junction, Opp Anadiyil
Hospital, Plamoodu, Pattom Post, Pin - 695004, Trivandrum, Ph - +91 9746035110
Most of the enzymes in industrial use are extracellular proteins produced by

Aspergillus sp. or Bacillus sp. and include α-amylase, β-glucanase, cellulase,

dextranase, lactase, lipase, pectinase, proteases and others.

Secondary Metabolites

Secondary metabolites are typically organic compounds produced through the

modification of primary metabolite synthases. Secondary metabolites do not play a

role in growth, development, and reproduction like primary metabolites do, and are

typically formed during the end or near the stationary phase of growth. Many of the

identified secondary metabolites have a role in ecological function, including defense

mechanisms, by serving as antibiotics and by producing pigments. Examples of

secondary metabolites with importance in industrial microbiology include atropine

and antibiotics such as erythromycin and bacitracin. Atropine, derived from various

plants, is a secondary metabolite with important use in the clinic. Atropine is a

competitive antagonist for acetycholine receptors, specifically those of the

muscarinic type, which can be used in the treatment of bradycardia. Antibiotics such
6
GALLANT IAS, Melel Building, Thekkummoodu Junction, Opp Anadiyil
Hospital, Plamoodu, Pattom Post, Pin - 695004, Trivandrum, Ph - +91 9746035110
as erythromcyin and bacitracin are also considered to be secondary metabolites.

Erythromycin, derived from Saccharopolyspora erythraea, is a commonly used

antibiotic with a wide antimicrobial spectrum. It is mass produced and commonly

administered orally. Lastly, another example of an antibiotic which is classified as a

secondary metabolite is bacitracin. Bacitracin, derived from organisms classified

under Bacillus subtilis, is an antibiotic commonly used a topical drug. Bacitracin is

synthesized in nature as a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase that can synthesize

peptides; however, it is used in the clinic as an antibiotic.

PYQs from CSE

1. Describe the role of micro-organisms in industry. (10) 2018

2. Role of microbes in industry. (5) 2013

PYQs from IFS

1. Describe the role of bacteria in industry. (5) 2017

2. Describe the role of bacteria in industry. (6) 2016

7
GALLANT IAS, Melel Building, Thekkummoodu Junction, Opp Anadiyil
Hospital, Plamoodu, Pattom Post, Pin - 695004, Trivandrum, Ph - +91 9746035110