B: Microorganisms in Industry Flashcards
(37 cards)
Who discovered penicillin. When did they discover it? How did they discover it? What is this called in biology?
- Alexander Flemming
- 1920s
by chance:
- Petri dish growing bacteria
- bacteria contaminated with Penicillium
- bacterial colonies near fungus died out
- Fleming realised chemical produced by fungus was acting as a biocide
chance discovery is called ‘serendipity’
When was a method for mass-producing penicillin developed? What was the method called?
- 1940s
called deep-tank fermentation
What is an obligate aerobe?
an organism that requires oxygen to grow
Penicillium is an obligate aerobe. What is the significance of this when growing Penicillium?
oxygen must be bubbled through the fermenter, with paddles to distribute it evenly
(otherwise it will die)
What are the optimum conditions for Penicillium? What is the nutrient source for Penicillium?
- oxygen must be present
- 24°C
- slightly alkaline pH
- corn steep liquor
When is penicillin produced by Penicillium? What do we call this kind of production? What type of fermentation, therefore, is used to produce penicillin?
- only produced if nutrient concentrations are low
- secondary metabolite (organic compounds that are not directly involved in the normal growth, development, or reproduction of an organism)
- batch culture
What can be said of initial nutrient concentrations when mass-producing penicillin? Why are they like this?
- nutrient concentrations are high
- to stimulate the fungus to grow
What has happened after about 30 hours since the start of the batch culture production of penicillin? What is the effect of this event? Why does this happen?
- nutrient concentrations have dropped
- penicillin production starts and continues for about 6 days
- penicillin is produced by Penicillium when nutrient concentrations are low
When is the batch culture production of penicillin fermenter drained? What happens after drainage?
- 6 days after the process began
- liquid from fermenter filtered and then solvents are used to precipitate the penicillin
What is citric acid? How is it used?
- it is a food additive
- used as a flavour enhancer and preservative
What does industrial production of citric acid rely on?
the fungus - Aspergillus niger
How is most citric acid industrially produced? Can it be produced any other way?
- mostly batch fermentation
- sometimes continuous fermentation
What are the optimal conditions for the industrial production of citric acid?
- high dissolved oxygen
- sugar concentrations
- acidic pH
- 30°C
Citric acid is produced in a cell cycle. What would we therefore call citric acid? Which cell cycle is citric acid produced in?
- primary metabolite
- Krebs cycle
Under what conditions does citric acid build up?
if culture is undersupplied with minerals such as iron
In continuous fermentation, how can citric acid be harvested?
by draining off fluid, filtering, then precipitating citric acid by adding calcium hydroxide
Define ‘proteome’.
the complete set of proteins that it can produce
What does the proteome depend on?
the genes that are in the genome
How can the proteome be altered?
by genetic engineering - a new gene is added to the genome, which is expressed to produce a protein not previously in the proteome
When is an organism said to be ‘transgenic’?
if it has been genetically modified with a gene from another organism
Through genetic engineering, a gene can be added to the genome, which is expressed to produce a protein not previously in the proteome. What is this new gene called?
the target gene
What must the target gene do if the transgenic organism is to be useful?
target gene must be expressed at an appropriate rate when required and not at other times
How is appropriate expression of the target gene achieved?
by linking it to other base sequences that control its expression
What are marker genes? Give an example.
- genes that are linked up to the target gene to indicate whether the target gene has been uptaken successfully by the intended transgenic organism
- marker gene example: gene for antibiotic resistance - cells that have not successfully uptaken target gene will be killed when treated with the antibiotic
