Microbial Metabolism

• Metabolism: All the chemical reactions within a living

organism.
• metabolism can be divided into two classes of
chemical reactions:
( catabolism) release energy
(anabolism) require energy
metabolic pathways (sequences of chemical reactions)
In living cells, the enzyme-regulated chemical reactions.
 catabolism
• Is the breakdown of complex organic compounds
into simple.
• These reactions are called:
1. catabolic,
2. degradative reactions,
3. hydrolytic reactions (use water and in which
chemical bonds are broken),
4. exergonic (realesed energy).

glucose (C6H12O6) CO2+H2O+ energy

 anabolism
• building of complex macromolecules from simpler. These
reactions are called anabolic, or biosynthetic reactions.
• dehydration synthesis reactions (reactions that release
water)
• endergonic (consume energy).
• Examples of anabolic processes are:
Amino acid + protein

simple sugars+ polysaccharides

nucleotides + nucleic acids

• These biosynthetic reactions generate the materials for

cell growth.
• Metabolic energy makes from processes of oxidation
and reduction.
• Oxidation: removal of electrons (e−) from an atom
or molecule, a reaction that often produces energy.
• Reduction: gained one or more electrons.
 Microbial metabolism
• is the means by which a microbe obtains the
energy and nutrients (carbon) it needs to live and
reproduce.
• Microbes use many different types of metabolic
pathways such us:
• Glycolytic Pathways
• Fermentation
• Respiration
• Photosynthesis
• The Nitrogen Cycle
• All organisms, including microbes, can be classified
metabolically according to their nutritional
pattern— their source of energy and their source of
carbon.
• depending on the energy source, we can generally
classify organisms as:
1. Phototrophs use light as their primary energy
source,
2. chemotrophs use inorganic or organic compounds
for energy.
• Autotrophs = lithotrophs (mean rock-eating),
• Heterotrophs = organotrophs.
If we combine the energy, electron and carbon sources,
we derive the following:
 bacterial Nutrition and Cultivation:
• Microorganisms require about 10 elements in large
amounts for the synthesis of macromolecules these are
called macroelements or macronutrients, 95% of cell dry
weight is made up of a few major elements:
• carbon (C), 50%
• oxygen(O2), 20%
• hydrogen(H2), 8%
• nitrogen(N2), 14%
• sulfur(S), 1%
• phosphorus (P),3%
• potassium (K), 1%
• calcium(Ca), 0.5%
• magnesium(Mg), 0.5%
• and iron (Fe).0.2%
• Several other elements are needed in very small
amounts present as contaminants at very low
concentrations and are parts of enzymes and
cofactors these are called micronutrients or trace
elements.
• manganese (Mn),
• zinc(Zn),
• cobalt (Co),
• molybdenum (Mo),
• nickel(Ni),
• and copper (Cu).