Explain the role of microbes in industrial production.

Explanation

1. Alcoholic fermentation. Next to water alcohol is the most common solvent and raw material used in the laboratory and chemical industry. Ethyl alcohol can be produced from any fermentable carbohydrate by yeasts. Corn, molasses, sugar beets, potatoes, and grapes are some of the common raw materials employed throughout the world. The selected strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are commonly employed for the fermentation. The biochemical change accomplished by the yeast is as follows:
`underset("glucose ( Fermentable carbohydrate)")(C_6H_(12)O_6) underset("enzyme") overset("Yeast") to underset("Ethyl alcohol")(2C_2H_5OH) + underset("Carbon dioxide ")(2CO_2)` This fermentation process is used by brewers of malt beverages, distillers, bakers, wine makers, chemical manufacturers, homemakers and many others. Depending upon the type of raw material used for fermentation and the type of processing, different types of alcoholic drinks are obtained. Wine and beer are produced without distillation whereas whisky, brandy and rum are produced by distillation of the fermented broth.
2. Baker.s yeast. In modern baking practice, pure cultures of selected strains of S. cerevisiae are mixed with bread dough to bring about desired changes in texture and flavour. The carbondioxide produced during the fermentation is responsible for the leavening, or rising of the dough.
3. Citric acid fermentation. In recent years, the production of citric acid by yeast is gaining importance because a variety of yeasts, such as, Candida, Hansenula etc. have been found to produce citric acid from carbohydrates and hydrocarbons. Citric acid is used in food, beverage, textile, pharmaceutical and detergent industries. It is also increasingly used in the removal of toxic and corrosive gases in air.
4. Enzyme production. Many moulds synthesize and secrete large quantities of enzymes into surrounding medium. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor and Rhizopus are mainly used for enzyme production. Mould enzymes e.g. amylase, invertase, proteases and pectinase are useful in processing and refining of a variety of materials.

5. Penicillin Production. The commercial production of penicillin and other antibiotics represents one of the most dramatic case histories in the development of industrial microbiology. The mold, Penicillium notatum, was isolated by Fleming in his laboratory, which yielded only a few units of penicillin per millilitre. But now a days Penicillium chrysogenum is used for the synthesis of penicillin, which is capable of producing large amounts of penicillin. Eubacteria (simple bacteria), and actinomycetales (ramified bacteria) are also responsible for producing antibiotics.
6. Chemicals, Enzymes and other Bioactive Molecules. Microbes produ« certain chemicals like organic acids, alcohols and enzymes. Examples of acid producers areAspergillus niger (fungus) of citric acid, Ace tobacter aceti (a bacterium) of acetic acid, Clostridium butylicum (a bacterium) of butyric acid and Lactobacius (a bacterium) of lactic acid. Microbes are also used for the production of enzymes. Lipases are used in detergent formulations and streptokinase produced by the bacterium streptococcus is used as a .clot buster. for removing clots from the blood vessels of patients : Fungus-Trichoderma polysporum produces cyclosporin . A that is used as an immunosuppressive agent in organ-transplant patients.