Chapter 6 Microbial Growth Flashcards
What is the definition of microbial growth?
It the increase in the number of cells not the cell size.
What do cells grow into?
Cells grow into a colony
What can understanding microbial growth do for us?
If we understand the conditions that are necessary for microbial growth, we can prevent disease and food spoilage.
What are the physical requirements for growth?
Temp
-pH
Osmotic
What are the chemical requirements for optimal microbial growth?
Carbon Nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorous Trace elements Oxygen Organic growth factor
How is temperature described in microbial growth?
Minimum growth temp
Optimal growth temp
Maximum growth temp
What are Psychrophiles/Psychrotrophs? What are their temperature ranges and what are they responsible for.?
Cold-loving
They grow in the refrigerator
Cause food spoilage
Psychrophiles grow below 20 C
Psychrotrophs- grow 0-30 degrees C
Describe Mesophiles optimal growth temp?
Moderate temp-loving
Because body temp is 37 C, pathogens belong to this group
Describe Thermophiles and their optimal growth temp?
They grow above temps 40 C and will not grow below 40 C.
Below 40 are called obligate thermophiles
What is the range of optimal grow for most bacterial in regards to food preservation?
What temp do many bacteria survive, and some may produce toxins
20-50 for rapid growth of microbes in food
5-15 C bacteria survive and many produce toxins
What are refrigerator temps and what takes place with growth?
0-15 C refrigerator temps which may allow slow growth of spoilage bacteria by very few pathogens
What happens to bacteria at temps within a freezer?
Under zero, no significant growth below freezing
What pH do most bacteria grow in?
6.5 to 7.5
What is the optimal pH that molds and yeasts grow in?
-pH 5 and 6
What pH is effective to keep bacteria from growing? What is a process that uses this pH?
Very few grow below pH 4. This pH is what is used to make yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut. And this prevents spoilage
What type of environment causes bacterial to lose water? And what takes place?
Hypertonic environments, or increase in salt or sugar will cause plasmolysis
The cell will lose water and the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall and causes death
This is bacterial osmotic pressure
What bacterial survive in areas that have high salt and have high osmotic pressure?
Who can tolerate these environments as well.
Extreme or obligate halophiles (salt loving) require high osmotic pressure
Facultative halophiles tolerate high osmotic pressure
How can bacteria tolerate Hypotonic (pure water)?
Because the plasma membrane rest on the rigid cell wall and prevents damage
What are the chemical requirements for bacterial growth?
Need a carbon source and an energy source
What the energy sources that are used for bacterial growth?
What do chemoheterotrophs and autotrophs use?
Energy source comes from carbohydrates, proteins and lipids.
Chemoheterotrophs use organic carbon sources
Autotrophs use CO2
What is another chemical requirements that comes from amino acid and proteins?
Nitrogen - comes from amino acids and proteins
Most bacteria decompose protein
What can N2 gas be used for and what bacteria uses it and for what?
N2 is use for nitrogen fixation
Rhizobium (symbiosis with plant roots)
Besides Nitrogen what other elements are used by bacteria for growth?
Sulfur and Phosphorus
What sulfur and phosphorus compounds are used?
Where are these compounds found?
Sulfur is present in come AA
Phosphorus is in DNA, RNA, and ATP and membranes
Some bacterial use SO4 2- (sulfate) or H2S (rotten egg gas)
PO4 3- is a phosphate ion and a source of phosphorus
What are trace elements?
These are inorganic elements that are required in small amounts to help enzymes function.
Fe (iron), Cu (copper), Zn (Zinc) these are enzyme cofactors
What is the effect of 02 on growth?
Even though we need it O2, its a poisonous gas
What type of bacteria need O2 to grow?
Obligate aerobes need O2 to grow
What bacteria can grow in the presence of O2 but can live without it?
What type of environment causes this growth without O2 present
Facultative anaerobes: use O2 when present but can live without it.
Without its fermentation or anaerobic respiration. E. coli
What type of bacteria lives without the presence of O2?
Obligate anaerobes: can only live in the absence of O2
O2 is toxic to these bacteria because they don’t have SOD and Catalase enzymes.
SOD breaks down superoxide radicals to O2 and peroxide. Catalase breaks down peroxide to water and oxygen
What is an example of an obliged anaerobes?
Clostridium which cause tetanus and botulism
What are Aerotolerant anaerobes?
Do not need O2 but can tolerate it
What microbes use O2 but need less of it to survive.
Microaerophiles: they are aerobic but need less concentration of O2 because they produce a large amount of toxic material in the presence of O2.
What are the forms of toxic oxygen?
Singlet oxygen: these are vey reactive and found in phagocytic cells
Superoxide free radicals (O2-) is very toxic found in obligate anaerobes
What enzyme neutralizes superoxide free radicals
SOD Superoxide dismutase
What enzyme neutralizes peroxide anion and generates O2, which one does not produce O2?
Catalase produces O2
Peroxidase does not generate O2
What is the most reactive molecule, this is also one of the body’s best defenses agains pathogens?
Hydroxyl radical
Very reactive molecule