Scope of Microbiology in Human Welfare industries, medicine, therapy , food production

1. MIC 101: L4
Scope of Microbiology in Human
Welfare

2. Food and Beverages
• Bread (Saccharomyces cerevisae)
• Cheese (Lactobacillus, Propionobacterium, Penicillium)
• Yogurt (Streptococcus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus thermophilus)
• Sausage (Pediococcus)
• Coffee (Erwinia, Saccharomyces)
• Soy sauce (Aspergillus, Streptomyces, Lactobacillus)
• Alcoholic beverage (Saccharomyces)
• Vinegar (Acetobacter, Gluconobacter)
• Citric Acid (Acetobacter, Clostridium)
• Mushroom (Agaricus)

3. Animal Feed
• Single cell protein (Saccharomyces
grown on agricultural waste)
• Spirulina grown in sea water

4. Agriculture
• Microbes maintain soil fertility by decomposing
the dead body of animals, plants and releasing
amines, sugars, vitamins, minerals and fatty
acids and small molecules.
• Microbes can produce organic Nitrogen
compounds from elementary Nitrogen. Free
organisms (Azotobacter, Beijerinkia,
Cyanobacteria, Clostridium) and symbiotic
microbes Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium do it.

5. Agriculture
• The crystals produced by Bacillus thuringiensis
can kill insect larvae.
• Controlled production of compost from
garbage, microbes and earthworm is the best
fertilizer

6. Industry
• Commodity ethanol (3.8 billion litres in US) by
Candida, Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces
• Protease, Amylase, esterase from Bacillus for
detergent and textile
• DNA polymerase in biological research
• Thiobacillus in metal processing from mines
• Methanococcus for production of methane in
fuel industry

7. Health and Sanitation
Wastewater/ Sewage
Screen out solid parts
Sediment insoluble parts
Oxidation of organic waste with bacteria, algae and
protozoa
Repeat oxidation and biological degradation for cleaner
water
Disinfection by filtration or chlorination
Check the dissolved oxygen content, suspended solid,
biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand
Release into natural water

8. Pollution Control
• Chlorinated pesticides were degraded by
Pseudomonas and Alkaligenes in agricultural
fields
• Petroleum spill in a bay in Canada was cleaned
by mixed population of microbes

9. Medicine and Therapy
• Production of insulin from engineered E coli
• Production of antibiotics
• Preparation of vaccine (vaccincia virus for pox
vaccine)
• Production of diagnostic antibodies in
engineered Pichia pastoris
• In future viruses can be used for gene therapy