Lec # 7
Microbial Biotechnology
Dr. Shah Rukh Abbas
ASAB, NUST
The Maldives, glittering from phosphorescent bacteria
Microorganisms
Protozoan
Algae
Yeast
Mold
Bacterium
Archaeon
Virus
Microorganism
• Used in the production of fermented foods
(eg. beer, wine, bread etc.)
• Used in the production of enzymes and
bioactive compounds for medical and
pharmaceuticals
• Used in bioremediation and waste treatment
Microbial Biotechnology
• Application of scientific and engineering principles to
the processing of materials by microorganisms to
create useful products or processes.
• Microorganisms utilized may be natural isolates,
laboratory selected mutants or microbes that have
been genetically engineered using recombinant
DNA methods.
Microbial Biotechnology
• Deals with the prevention of deterioration of
processed or manufactured goods, environmental
protection and with waste disposal system.
• Production of antibiotics, organic acids and enzymes
by fermentation of natural microbes, laboratory
selected mutants or microbes genetically engineered
using recombinant DNA methods.
Microbial degradation of
xenobiotics
Agriculture and Food
Commercial production of
fructose and alcohol and
protecins using fermentation
(Biomass utilisation)
Plant growth promoting bacteria
i-e, Nitrogen fixing bacteria,
nodulation organisms, biocontrol
of pathogens , microbial
insecticides etc.
Microbial
biotechnology
Molecular diagnostics
.-Monoclonal antibodies
-DNA diagnostics (hybridisation
probes)
Health care
Therapeutics:
Vaccines
Pharmaceuticals (Growth
harmones, proteins, antibiotics,
vitamincs)
Biopolymer
Microbial Biotechnology
in Agriculture and Food
• development of genetically engineered plants
with internal resistance to drought, frost,
insect pests and infestation
• reduction in dependency of plants on
chemical fertilizers and identification of
alternatives to expensive fertilizers
• replacement of dangerous chemical pesticides
with microbial pesticides to manage and
control the problem of pests
Microbial Biotechnology
in Agriculture and Food
• reduction in the reliance on chemical
treatments to control weeds by engineering
herbicide tolerance into crops
• production of products that have high yield
and enhanced nutritional value
• development of novel biomass products as
foodstuffs, using organisms such as algae,
fungi, bacteria and yeast.
Microbial Biotechnology in Food and
Agriculture
• Food improved and preserved by fermentation.
Fermentation:
• Any process that produces alcoholic beverages or
acidic dairy products
• Any spoilage of food by microorganisms
• Any large-scale microbial process occurring with
or without air
• All metabolic processes that release energy from
a sugar or other inorganic molecule.
Microbial Biotechnology in Food and
Agriculture
Organisms
Streptococcus
Lactobacillus
Bacillus
Saccharomyces
Pyruvate
Propionibacterium
Fermentation
End-products
Lactic acid
Ethanol and CO2
Propionic acid,
acetic acid, CO2 , H2
Clostridium
Butyric acid,
butanol, acetone,
isopropyl alcohol,
CO2
Escherichia
Salmonella
Ethanol, lactic acid,
succinic acid, acetic
acid, CO2, H2
Enterobacter
Ethanol, lactic acid,
formic acid,
butanediol, acetoin,
CO2, H2
Commercial production of products by
fermentation (healthcare +food)
During the fermentation process, microbial growth and
metabolism result in the production of:
1. enzymes; capable of breaking down carbohydrates, lipids
and proteins.
2. vitamins
3. antimicrobial compounds
4. texture-forming agents
5. amino acids; glutamic acid, organic acids
6. flavor compounds
Microbial Biotechnology in health care
• Production of insulin
For many years, insulin was
obtained by purifying it from
the pancreas of cows & pigs
slaughtered for food. This was
expensive, difficult and the
insulin could cause allergic
reactions.
• Production of insulin
More discoveries
• 1955: Frederick Sanger (Cambridge) determines full amino acid
structure of insulin (primary structure)
• 1958: Frederick Sanger wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1980:
determination of base sequences in nucleic acids shared with
Walter Gilbert)
• 1969: Dorothy Hodgkin (also Nobel Prize winner) used X-ray
crystallography to find its 3-D shape (tertiary structure).
• 1978: insulin became the first human protein to be manufactured
through biotechnology in large amounts (Genentech).
Human insulin is a pure form that is less likely to cause allergic
reactions
Administering Insulin
Injecting insulin allows individuals with
diabetes to control their blood sugar levels.
Insulin pens
Pumps deliver controlled amounts
throughout the day
Using nanopumps may allow insulin to be
delivered from pumps the size of skin patches.
Assignment
• Write a 1000 word essay on what You learned
from the the following paper:
http://web.mit.edu/pweigele/www/SoBEI/Info
_files/Rabaey%202005%20Trends%20Biotechn
ol.pdf