Historical Development of Industrial Microbiology

Historical Development, of Industrial Microbiology

Historical Development, of Industrial Microbiology

Historical Development, Importance and   Improvement productivity of Industrial Microbiology

Industrial microbiology is the study of possible utilization of microorganisms in various industrial processes in which the activities of these microorganisms may become significant in industries or in technology.

The study of industrial microbiology helps in understanding biochemical characteristics of the organisms including chemicals transformation of materials into desired industrial products.

For several decades it has been known that numerous kinds of yeasts, molds, algae and other lower fungi and several bacteria have direct relation to industrial operation including brewing, wine making, cheese making. 

Industrial microbiology replaces the household arts with greater potentialities in applied field of science.

Microorganisms were exploited for useful purpose long before anything was known about their existence or their characteristics.

As early as 6000 BC, the Babylonians and the Sumerians used yeast to make alcohol.

History reveals many other applications of microbial processes resulted in the production of desirable products, especially foods and beverages.

Industrial microbiology has experienced two dramatic explosions during the last few decades - discovery of antibiotics, recombinant DNA technology.

From the standpoint of industrial microbiology, microorganisms can be considered chemical factories in miniature, because of these reasons:

a) They have the capacity to convert a raw material into end product.

b) If the end products have value for human use, then it becomes attractive to exploit the microbes in commercial scale.

Ideal Industrial Microorganisms

An Ideal Industrial Microorganism is the one that produces desired commercial metabolites in vast quantities relative to its other biosynthetic and catabolic end product.

Improvement productivity of microorganisms in industrial microbiology

Organisms isolated from natural environment usually produce a desired product in very small amount.  It is necessary to improve the productivity of isolated organism.

 Productivity may be improved by these ways:

1. Product yield may be improved by optimizing the cultural conditions such as, pH, temperature, water activity, media.

2. Productivity is controlled by genome. Thus to improve the potential productivity, the organism genome must be modified by mutation with X-ray, gamma ray, UV-ray and recombinant DNA technology.

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"Historical Development, of Industrial Microbiology"

Written By

Sadia Akhtar

Student of Department of Microbiology

Jagannath University.

Email- sadiabd810@yahoo.com