INDUSTRIAL

MICROBIOLOGY
Lecture IV
TAXONOMIC GROUPING OF MICROORGANISMS
IMPORTANT IN INDUSTRIAL
MICROBIOLOGY AND
BIOTECHNOLOGY

TAXONOMIC GROUPING OF MICROORGANISMS

IMPORTANT IN INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY AND
BIOTECHNOLOGY

The microorganisms currently used in industrial

microbiology and biotechnology are found
mainly among the bacteria and eukarya; the
Archae are not used.

TAXONOMIC GROUPING OF MICROORGANISMS

IMPORTANT IN INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY AND
BIOTECHNOLOGY

One of the criteria supporting the use of a

microorganism for industrial purposes is the
possession of properties which will enable the
organism to survive and be productive in the face
of competition from contaminants.

MICROORGANISMS HAVE THE

FOLLOWING
ADVANTAGES OVER PLANTS OR ANIMALS
AS INPUTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY:
Microorganisms grow rapidly in comparison with
plants and animals. The generation time (the
time for an organism to mature and reproduce)
is about 12 years in man, about 24 months in
cattle, 18 months in pigs, 6 months in chicken,
but only 15 minutes in the bacterium, E coli.
The consequence is that biotechnological
products which can be obtained from
microorganisms in a matter of days may take
many months in animals or plants.

MICROORGANISMS HAVE THE

FOLLOWING
ADVANTAGES OVER PLANTS OR ANIMALS
AS INPUTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY:
The space requirement for growth
microorganisms is small. A 100,000 litre
fermentor can be housed in about 100 square
yards of space, whereas the plants or animals
needed to generate the equivalent of products
in the 100,000 fermentor would require many
acres of land.

MICROORGANISMS HAVE THE

FOLLOWING
ADVANTAGES OVER PLANTS OR ANIMALS
AS INPUTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY:
Microorganisms are not subject to the problems
of the vicissitudes of weather which may affect
agricultural production especially among plants.

BACTERIA
Of the 18 phyla in the bacteria, the Aquiflex is
evolutionarily the most primitive, while the
most advanced is the Proteobacteria. The
bacterial phyla used in industrial microbiology
and biotechnology are found in the
Proteobacteria, the Firmicutes and the
Actinobacteria.

PROTEOBACTERIA
Are a major group of bacteria. Due to the diversity of
types of bacteria in the group, it is named after
Proteus, the Greek god, who could change his
shape.

Proteobacteria include a wide variety of pathogens,

such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio and
Helicobacter, as well as free-living bacteria some of
which can fix nitrogen.

The group also includes the purple bacteria, socalled because of their reddish pigmentation, and

PROTEOBACTERIA
All Proteobacteria are Gram-negative, with an
outer membrane mainly composed of
lipopolysaccharides. Many move about using
flagella, but some are non-motile or rely on
bacterial gliding.

There is also a wide variety in the types of

metabolism. Most members are facultatively or
obligately anaerobic and heterotrophic, but
there are numerous exceptions.

PROTEOBACTERIA
Proteobacteria are divided into five groups:

(alpha),
(beta),
(gamma),
(delta),
(epsilon).

PROTEOBACTERIA
The only organisms of current industrial
importance in the Proteobacteria are
Acetobacter and Gluconobacter, which are
acetic acid bacteria and belong to the
Alphaproteobacteria.

An organism also belonging to the

Alphaproteobacteria, and which has the
potential to become important industrially is
Zymomonas. It produces copious amounts of

The bacterium Zymomonas mobilis is

a highly potent ethanol producer
already used in industrial-scale
fermentations. Zymomonas converts
sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide,
exhibiting up to 98% yields,

Zymomonas mobilis subsp.

mobilis (strain NCIB 11163) is a
facultative aerobic, ethanolproducing bacterium. The
natural habitat of this organism
includes sugar-rich plant saps
where the bacterium ferments
sugar such as glucose or
sucrose into ethanol and carbon
dioxide. It is useful in industrial
production systems, particularly
in production of bioethanol for

THE ACETIC BACTERIA

The acetic acid bacteria are Acetobacter
(peritrichously flagellated) and Gluconobacter
(polarly flagellated). They have the following
properties:

They carry out incomplete oxidation of alcohol

leading to the production of acetic acid, and are
used in the manufacture of vinegar

They stand acid conditions of pH 5.0 or lower.

THE ACETIC BACTERIA

Their property of under-oxidizing sugars is
exploited in the following:
a. The production of glucoronic acid from
glucose, galactonic aicd from galactose and
arabonic acid from arabinose;
b. The production of sorbose from sorbitol by
acetic acid bacteria, an important stage in the
manufacture of ascorbic acid (also known as
Vitamin C)

Acetobacter aceti
A Gram negative bacterium that moves using its
peritrichous flagella.

Louis Pasteur proved it to be the cause conversion of

alcohol to acetic acid in 1864.

Acetobacter aceti
INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE
It is used in the production of vinegar by
converting the ethanol in wine into acetic acid.

The acetic acid created by A. aceti is also used

in the manufacturing of acetate rayon, plastic
production, rubber production, and
photographic chemicals.

Acetobacter aceti bacteria

deglaze pans, marinate meats, and

add tang to vinaigrettes, sauces, and
even desserts. Vinegars are made by
adding a bacteria called Acetobacter
aceti

FIRMICUTES
The Firmicutes are a division of bacteria, all of
which are Gram-positive, in contrast to the
Proteobacteria which are all Gram-negative.

A few, the mycoplasmas, lack cell walls

altogether and so do not respond to Gram
staining, but still lack the second membrane
found in other Gram-negative forms;
consequently they are regarded as Grampositive.

SPORE-FORMING
FIRMICUTES
Spore-forming Firmicutes form internal
spores, unlike the Actinobacteria where
the spore-forming members produce
external ones.
The group is divided into two:
Bacillus spp, which are aerobic and
Clostridium spp which are anaerobic.

BACILLUS SPP
Bacillus spp are sometimes used in
enzyme production. Some species
are well liked by mankind because
of their ability to kill insects.

Bacillus papilliae
Paenibacillus popilliae
Bacillus papilliae
infects and kills the
larvae of the beetles in
the family
Scarabaeidae

B. thuringiensis
Used against mosquitoes

The genes for the toxin produced by

B. thuringiensis are also being
engineered into plants to make
them resistant to insect pests

Spores and bipyramidal

crystals of Bacillus

Bt toxins present in peanut leaves

(bottom image) protect it from
extensive damage caused by
Lesser Cornstalk Borer larvae (top

Spores and crystalline

insecticidal proteins produced
by B. thuringiensis have been
used to control insect pests
since the 1920s.

NON-SPORE FORMING
FIRMICUTES

Members of the firmicutes group are very

important in industry as they contain the
lactic acid bacteria.
The lactic acid bacteria are rods or cocci placed in the
following genera: Enterococcus, Lactobacillus,
Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus and
Streptococcus and are among some of the most
widely studied bacteria because of their important in
the production of some foods, and industrial and

USE OF LACTIC ACID

BACTERIA FOR INDUSTRIAL
PURPOSES:
The desirable characteristics of lactic acid
bacteria as industrial microorganisms include:
a. their ability to rapidly and completely
ferment cheap raw materials,
b. their minimal requirement of nitrogenous
substances,

USE OF LACTIC ACID

BACTERIA FOR INDUSTRIAL
PURPOSES:
c. they produce high yields of the much
preferred stereo specific lactic acid

d. ability to grow under conditions of low pH and

high temperature, and

e. ability to produce low amounts of cell mass

as well as negligible amounts of other
byproducts.

CHARACTERISTIC OF
LACTIC ACID BACTERIA

Gram stain of yogurt, 1000x

with Lactobacillus acidiphilus and
Steptococcus thermophilus

CHARACTERISTIC OF
LACTIC ACID BACTERIA

Enterococci levels are used

as indicators of the presence
of fecal material in drinking
and recreational
waters.Indicates the possible
presence of disease-causing
bacteria, viruses, and
protozoans. Such pathogens
may pose health risks to
people fishing and swimming
in a water
body.

Enterococci levels should be

measured in marine

CHARACTERISTIC OF
LACTIC ACID BACTERIA

Pediococcus pentosaceus
homebrew lambic

CHARACTERISTIC OF
LACTIC ACID BACTERIA

Leuconostoc lactis

ACTINOBACTERIA
They derive their name from the fact that many
members of the group have the tendency to
form filaments or hyphae (actinis, Greek for ray
or beam).

The industrially important members of the

group are the Actinomycetes and
Corynebacterium.

Corynebacterium spp are important industrially

ACTINOMYCETES
They have branching filamentous hyphae,
which somewhat resemble the mycelia of the
fungi, among which they were originally
classified. In fact they are unrelated to fungi.

The best known genus is Streptomyces

ACTINOMYCETES
ACTINOPLANE
S

MICRONOSPO
RA

ACTINOMYCETES
SACCHAROMONOSPO THERMOACTINOMYC
ES
RA

ACTINOMYCETES
THERMOMONOSPORA

Thermomonospora curvata - pellet culture in liquid medium.

STREPTOMYCES
The best known genus is Streptomyces, from
which many antibiotics as well as non-antimicrobial drugs have been obtained.

An antibiotic droplet secreted

Streptomyces coelicolor colonies from a Streptomyces colony

FUNGI

Fungi are members of the Eucarya which are

commonly used in industrial production.

The fungi are traditionally classified into the

four groups:

Phycomycetes,
Ascomycetes,

FUNGI

PHYCOMYCETES
(ZYGOMYCETES)
Rhizopus and Mucor are used for producing
various enzymes

ASCOMYCETES
Yeasts are used for the production of ethanol
and alcoholic beverages
Claviceps purpurea is used for the production
of the ergot alkaloids

Claviceps purpurea

FUNGI IMPERFECTI
Aspergillus is important because it produces
the food toxin, aflatoxin, while
Penicillium is well-known for the antibiotic
penicillin which it produces.

FUNGI IMPERFECTI
Aspergillus is important because it produces
the food toxin, aflatoxin, while
Penicillium is well-known for the antibiotic
penicillin which it produces.

BASIDIOMYCETES
Agaricus produces the edible fruiting body or
mushroom