Microbes in Industrial Products: Fermented Beverages, Organic Acids and More

In this article, you will learn about Microbes in Industrial Products. Do you know which drug is used to treat cholesterol? Do you know there are some microbes that help in producing antibiotics, vitamins, etc.? Though we think microbes are always harmful, the use of microbes in industrial products is very much helpful to humans.

Microbes are microscopic living organisms that are present everywhere in soil, water, air, even insides and outsides of our body or any animal and plant. So, we are going to learn the role of microbes in industrial products such as the production of organic acids, enzymes, antibiotics, etc. Continue reading to know more.

What are Microbes?

Microbes are microorganisms, which are the major component of the biological system of our planet. Microbes are so tiny that they can not be seen with bare eyes. They are only seen through microscopes; therefore, they are also known as microscopic organisms. But sometimes colonies made by some bacteria and fungi on nutritive media can be seen with naked eyes. Such cultures are helpful in studies on microorganisms.

Types of Microbes

There are different types of microbes present on our earth, they are:

1. Algae
Algae are a diverse group of eukaryotic, non-vascular thallophytes, autotrophic, chlorophyll-containing organisms capable of producing oxygen through photosynthesis.

Fig: Different Examples of Algae

2. Bacteria
Bacteria are very tiny single-cell microbes that can live in all environments on earth.

Fig: Different Examples of Bacteria

Study About Microbes in Human Welfare

3. Protozoa
Protozoa are microscopic unicellular eukaryotes, either-living or parasitic.

Fig: Different Examples of Protozoa

4. Virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious microbe that replicates only inside the living cell of an organism.

Fig: Different Examples of Virus

5. Fungi
Fungi are eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that include Yeasts, moulds, etc.

Fig: Different Examples of Fungi

Role of Microbes in Industrial Products

Biotechnology and microbiology have industrial microbiology as a branch that deals with the study of various microorganisms and their application in industries. Microbes are grown in very large vessels called fermentors or bioreactors. In industries, microbes are very much used to synthesize different types of products which are valuable for us. These products are food additives, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), organic acids, enzymes, vitamins, biofuels, bio-fertilizers, metabolites, different types of antibiotics, vaccines in the medical field for the treatment of diseases. Microbes play a vital role in the fermentation process to obtain several products.

1. Fermented Beverages
a) Fermentors are the very large vessels that are required in production on an industrial scale for growing microbes.
b) Brewing refers to the production of beer by soaking a starch source, such as barley, in water and fermenting the resulting liquid with Yeast.
c) Saccharomyces cerevisiae is capable of producing alcohol from sugars only through the anaerobic process.
d) Distillation is used to extract or purify a liquid from a mixture or concentrate it.
e) Wine and beer are produced without distillation because the concentration of alcohol in these beverages is maintained at a low level.
f) Whisky, brandy, and rum are produced by distillation of the fermented broth.
g) For the making of bread, Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast is used and this is commonly called brewer’s yeast.

Fig: Fermentation Process and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2. Antibiotics
a) The most widely used and significant discoveries of the twentieth century are antibiotics which are produced by microbes.
b) Antibiotics are chemical substances that can kill or inhibit the growth of disease-causing microbes.
c) Antibiotics are obtained from lichens, fungi, eubacteria, and actinomycetes.
d) Antibiotics increase our immunity to treat deadly diseases like diphtheria, leprosy, plague, whooping cough, which are the reasons for million deaths.
e) Penicillin was the first antibiotic discovered by Alexander Fleming, which was used to treat wounded American soldiers in World War II.
f) The full potential of penicillin was explored and publicized by Ernest Chain and Howard Florey, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery in the year 1945. Penicillin was extensively used for the treatment of wounds of soldiers during World War II.
g) There are many other antibiotics later produced by microbes that are used to treat different bacterial infections.
h) Chloromycetin is produced by Streptomyces venezuelae. This antibiotic is used to treat typhoid, typical pneumonia, bacterial urinary infections, whooping cough, and so on.
i) Genus Streptomyces, which belongs to actinomycetes, produces several antibiotics like streptomycin, chloramphenicol or chloromycetin, tetracycline, Terramycin, and erythromycin.

Fig: Streptomyces and Penicillium notatum

Different types of Antibiotics and their Source (Microbes) are mentioned below in the table:

Fig: Antibiotics

3. Organic Acids
a) Citric acid was the first organic acid that was produced.
b) Aspergillus niger, Acetobacter acute, and Lactobacillus are some of the microbes which are used for the production of organic acids in industries.

Different types of microbes and their chemicals are mentioned below in the given table:

4. Enzymes
a) Enzymes are used to control certain biochemical reactions in the living system.
b) For detergent, formulation lipases are used.
c) Pectinases and proteases are used to clear bottled fruit juices.
d) For removing blood clots from the blood vessels, Streptokinase is used, which is produced by the bacterium Streptococcus.
e) First, industrially produced microbial enzymes were used to treat indigestion and other digestive disorders.

Different types of enzymes and their uses are mentioned below in the given table:

Fig: Clot Buster

5. Vitamins
a) Vitamins are very important to perform various life-sustaining functions inside our body.
b) Vitamins are micronutrients that our body needs to fulfil its metabolism which is supplied through diet because our body can’t synthesize all the vitamins.

Different types of vitamins and the microbes used for their production are mentioned below in the given table:

Fig: Different Types of Vitamins

6. Bioactive molecules
These molecules are formed because of microbial activities. Statins act by competitively inhibiting the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of cholesterol.

Different types of bioactive molecules, microbes, and their uses are mentioned below:

Fig: Statin

Apart from these, microbes are also used for the production of different types of biofuels, biofertilizers, vaccines, protein, and hormonal supplements to cure malnutrition and other deficiency diseases in both humans and animals.

Summary

Microbes are a very important component of our daily life. Some microbes are pathogenic, but the maximum of them are useful. There are varieties of microbes present on our planet. They are algae, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi. Microbes can be present in the soil, water, air, even in and in our bodies. A lactic acid bacterium is grown in milk and converts milk into curd.

Beverages like wine, beer, rum, whiskey, brandy, and some non-alcoholic fruit juices are fermented in industries following various processes with the help of microbes. Antibiotics like penicillin, streptomycin, Terramycin, and many more are used to kill or inhibit the growth of disease-causing microbes. Microbes are also used to process biofuel, biofertilizers, and biogas. So, microbes are important to complete human needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1. What are the major classes of industrial products produced by microbes?
Ans: The major classes of industrial products are:
a) Fermented Beverages
b) Organic Acids
c) Antibiotics
d) Vitamins
e) Enzymes

Q.2. Mention different types of microbes present on our planet earth?
Ans: Different types of microbes present on earth are algae, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi.

Q.3. What is brewer’s yeast?
Ans: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known as brewer’s yeast.

Q.4. Which microbe synthesizes vitamin K?
Ans: Many gut bacteria and Escherichia coli are known to synthesize vitamin K.

Q.5. What is ‘clot buster’?
Ans: Streptokinase is used to remove blood clots from blood vessels and is produced by the bacterium Streptococcus. So, Streptokinase is called a ‘clot buster’.

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We hope this article on Microbes in Industrial Products helps you in your preparation. Do drop in your queries in the comments section if you get stuck and we will get back to you at the earliest.