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MICROBES IN HUMAN WELFARE


               MICROBES IN HUMAN WELFARE
                             Microbes are diverse – protozoa, bacteria, fungi and microscopic plants viruses, viroids and also
                              prions (proteinocious infectious agents)
                             Microbes like bacteria and fungi can be grown in nutrient media to form colonies and can be seen
                              in naked eyes.
                             Some microbes’ causes diseases and some are useful for human being.
               MICROBES IN HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS:
                       Lactic acid Bacteria:
                             Lactic acid Bacteria (LAB) grow in milk and convert it to curd.
                             LAB produces acids that coagulate and partially digest milk proteins.
                             A small amount of curd added to fresh milk as inoculums or starter.
                             LAB improves nutritional quality of milk by increasing vitamin B 12

                             LAB plays very important role in checking disease causing microbes.
                             Dough, used to make dosa and idli is also fermented by bacteria.
                             The puffed-up appearance of dough is due to the production of CO 2.
                             Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cervisiae) is used to making bread.
                             ‘Toddy’ a traditional drink is made by fermentation of sap from palms.
                             Large  holes  in  ‘Swiss  cheese’  are  due  to  production  of  large  amount  of  CO 2 by  a  bacterium
                              namedPropionibacterium sharmanii.
                             The ‘Roquefort cheese’ is ripened by specific fungi, which gives specific flavor.

               MICROBES IN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS:
                             Microbes are used in industry to synthesize a number of products
                             Beverages and antibiotics are some examples.
                             Microbes are grown in very large vessels called fomenters.
               Fermented Beverages:
                             Yeasts are used for production of beverages like wine, beer, whisky, brandy or rum.
                             Saccharomyces cervisiae commonly called ‘brewer’s yeast used for fermenting malted cereals
                              and fruit juices to produce ethanol.
                             The  type  of  raw  material  used  for  fermentation  and  the  processing,  different  types  of  alcoholic
                              drinks are produced.
                             Wine and beer are produced without distillation.
                             Whisky, brandy and rum are produced by distillation of the fermented brooth.
               Antibiotics:
                             Antibiotics are  the  chemical substances  which  are  produced  by some microbes and  can  kill  or
                              retard the growth of other microbes.
                             The first antibiotic discovered is the penicillin, from a mould (fungus) Penicillium notatum.
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