L5: Industrial Microbiology Flashcards
Name the major organisms used in industrial microbiology
Fungi and streptomyces
Name 5 microbial products of industrial interest.
1) microbial cells
2) enzymes
3) antibiotics, steroids, alkaloids
4) food additives
5) commodity chemicals
What is industrial microbiology and what could it be used for?
Microorganisms, grown on a large scale,
–> to produce products or carry out chemical transformation.
What are primary metabolites?
Produced during exponential growth –> alcohol.
What are secondary metabolites?
Large organic molecules,
That require a large number of specific enzymatic steps for production.
During which phase are secondary metabolites produced?
Stationary.
What is a fermenter
The vessel where the microbiology process takes place.
What is a fermentation?
Large scale reaction
Typically, what type of metabolite are antibiotics?
Secondary
Define antibiotics
Compounds that kill or inhibit the growth of other microbes.
Most antibiotics in clinical use are produced by…
Filamentous fungi or actinomycetes
Are antibiotics still discovered by a laboratory screening process?
Yes
What is one method is isolating and characterising antibiotics?
Cross streak method
What is the cross streak method used for
Used to test new microbial isolates for antibiotic production.
–> most isolates produce known antibiotics.
What is the time and cost of developing new antibiotics?
Approximately 15 years and 1 billion dollars
What type of antibiotic are penicillins?
B-lactam antibiotics
What type of metabolite are penicillins?
Secondary
High levels of ……. repress penicillin production
Glucose
Deficiency of ……… what results in pernicious anemia?
Vitamin B12.
What are steroids derivatives of?
Sterols
Define steroids
Important animal hormones with medicinal uses.
Production of steroids can be costly. What can be used to reduce costs?
Microbes
What is the process of using microbes to reduce the costs of steroid production?
Bio transformation
Define biotechnology
Use of LIVING organisms for INDUSTRIAL or COMMERCIAL applications.