Microbiology

Question 1

Three stages of Bioprocesses

Answer 1

Preparation
production
purification

Question 2

The preparation stage of bioprocesses include

Answer 2

nutrient media

equipment sterilization

Question 3

The production stage of bioprocesses

Answer 3

bioreaction kinetics
oxygen transfer
operational strategy

Question 4

The purification stage of bioprocesses

Answer 4

Separation operations

Question 5

Another factor that is central to a successful bioprocess

Answer 5

biocatalyst which is capable of utilising substrate efficiently and forming the desired product with few or no by-products.

Question 6

Name the three primary taxonomic domains

Answer 6

Procaryotic cells:
1. Eubacteria
2. Archaebacteria
Eukaryotic cells:
3. Eukarya

Question 7

Name the kingdoms and under which domain they are classified

Answer 7

Domains:

1. Eubacteria
2. Archaebacteria
3. Eukarya
4. 1 protists
5. 2 fungi
6. 3 plants
7. 4 animals

Question 8

The most ancient form of life linked to our evolutionary roots

Answer 8

archaea

Question 9

Imagine the Phylogenetic Tree of life, and what the nodes and branches mean as how the differents domains evolved

Answer 9

Common ancestor -> eubacteria
-> Archaebacteria -> Eukarya

Nodes/branch points: points in evolution where different ranks split from each other to form separate lineages or branches

Branches identify evolutionary relationships between different species as defined by physical and/or genetic similarities and differences.

Question 10

Binomial nomenclature is composed of (Latin binomial system)

Answer 10

generic and specific names

Genus species (written in italics)

Question 11

Why do archaea have a high potential for industrial processes

Answer 11

Ability to perform in adverse conditions (high temperatures = high reaction rates)

Question 12

Example and explanation of an acidothermophilic archaea

Answer 12

Sulfolobus - used for bioleaching of Cu from sulfide ores

archaea which grow at an optimal temperature around 80 C and a pH below 3

Question 13

Example and explanation of a methanogen

Answer 13

Methanopyrus

can survive at a temp of 120 C and has a potential for energy generation and CO2 sequestration

Question 14

Attributes that can be harvested via enzymes from archaea in extreme environments

Answer 14

thermophilic
halophilic
cryophilic

Question 15

Prokaryotes define

Answer 15

unicellular microorganisms
replicate via binary fission only
result in daughter cells of identical morphology

Question 16

Binary fission is an assumption of

Answer 16

Monod growth kinetics - predicts an exponential increase in cell concentration during non-limited growth in batch culture.

Monod kinetics is regarded as the basis for most biokinetic models and forms the foundation of the majority of continuous and fed-batch bioprocess design equations.

Question 17

most common prokaryotic morphological types

Answer 17

Spherical (cocci)  1-2 micrometers
rod-shaped (bacilli) 1-10 micrometers
curved (vibrios)
spiral (spirilli)
helical (spirochetes)
filamentous (actinomycetes) up to 30 micrometers

Question 18

Cell size and groupings…

Answer 18

important parameters when selecting appropriate solid/liquid separation operations during downstream processing

Question 19

Endospores

Answer 19

Inert, resting cells

Have a 2-phase life cycle

1. vegetative cell - metabolically active and growing
2. endospore - when exposed to adverse environmental conditions are capable of high resistance and longe term survival

Question 20

Sporulation

Answer 20

formation of endospores when conditions are not good to reproduce

• withstand extremes in heat, drying, freezing, radiation, and chemicals
• not a means of reproduction - just create one cell to “keep”

Question 21

Budding index

Answer 21

Degree of budding

Question 22

Cell growth by binary fission with budding

Answer 22

Usually well approximated by Monod growth kinetics - but the extent of budding should be quantified.

Question 23

Dimorphic yeats

Answer 23

follow a linear rather than exponential model - Monod growth kinetics do not apply