Industrial Microbiology

Instructor: Bita Zamiri

Quick Recap
Microbial Growth and Nutrition
The osmotic concentration of a habitat has such profound effect pH dramatically affects microbial growth. Each species has a definite
on microorganisms pH growth range and pH growth optimum.

Water activity is inversely related to osmotic pressure

Most organisms spend their lives on land or on the surface of water

always subjected to a pressure of 1 atm and are never affected
significantly by pressure

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Today we will study:

• Chemical requirements for growth and media formulation

Media Formulation
• The first task for any industrial microbiologist is to find a suitable microorganisms for use in the desired process.

• A wide variety of alternative approaches are available, ranging from isolating microorganisms from the environment to
using sophisticated molecular techniques to modify an existing microorganism.

• Only a minor portion of the microbial species in most environments have been isolated and cultured.

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Media Formulation

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Media Formulation

• For many industrial processes, microorganisms must be grown using specifically designed media under carefully
controlled conditions, including temperature, aeration and nutrient feeding during the course of fermentation.

• The growth of microorganisms under such controlled environments is expensive and this approach is used only when
the desired product can be sold for a profit.

• The high costs arise from the expense of development of a particular microorganisms to be used in large-scale
fermentation, the equipment, medium preparation, product purification and packaging along with marketing efforts.
Media Formulation

• The medium used to grow a microorganisms (medium formulation or development) is critical because it can
influence the economic competitiveness of a particular process.

• Frequently, lower cost cruse materials are used as sources of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous.
Media Formulation

• The ability to grow and maintain microorganisms is only possible if suitable culture media is available.

Culture Media: a solid or liquid preparation used to grow, transport and store microorganisms.

• To be effective, the medium must contain all the nutrients the microorganisms requires for growth.

• Although all microorganisms need sources of energy, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and various minerals,
the precise composition of a satisfactory medium will depend on the species one is trying to cultivate because
nutritional requirements vary.

• Knowledge of a microorganisms normal habitat often is useful is selecting an appropriate culture medium because its
nutrient requirements reflect its natural surrounding.

Elemental composition of bacteria

(% dry weight)
Media Formulation

Chemical Requirements for Growth

Carbon:
• Makes up 50% of the dry weight of cells.
• It is a key elements in the structural backbone of all organic compounds.
• Chemoheterotrophs obtain carbon from organic molecules and autotrophs obtains carbon from CO2

Nitrogen:
• Makes up 14%of the dry weight of cells.
• It is used to synthesize amino acids, DNA and RNA.

Sulfur:
• Used to form proteins and some vitamins (thiamin and biotin)

Phosphorus:
• Used to forms DNA, RNA, ATP and phospholipids

Other elements:
• Potassium, magnesium and calcium are often required as enzyme cofactors. Calcium is required for cell wall synthesis
in Gram positive bacteria.

Trace elements
• Many are used as enzyme cofactors (Iron, Copper, Molybdenum, Zinc)