Introduction
Bacteria are single-celled organisms and are found in large numbers in our environment. Some types of bacterias are hazardous in nature , but many of them are beneficial. They are utilised in industrial and therapeutic activities, and they support many forms of life, both plant and animal.
Bacteria are supposed to be the earliest species to appear on the planet, which happened roughly 4 billion years ago. The earliest known fossils are bacteria-like organisms.
Uses of Bacteria
Bacteria are typically assumed to be harmful, but many of them are beneficial. We wouldn't exist if it weren't for them. The oxygen we breathe is most likely produced by bacteria. Human survival is possible:
Many microorganisms in the human body play a crucial role in survival. In the digestive system, bacteria break down nutrients like complex carbohydrates into forms that the body can utilise.
Non-pathogenic bacteria also help to prevent disease by occupying sites where disease-causing bacteria would like to grow. By combating pathogens, some microorganisms protect us from disease.
Fixation of Nitrogen: Bacteria consume nitrogen and release it when they die, allowing plants to use it. Plants need nitrogen in the soil for their survival, but they can't make it themselves. To ensure this, many plant seeds contain a small container of bacteria that is used when the plant emerges.
Food Science and Technology: Lactic acid bacteria are of two types Lactobacillus and Lactococcus, as well as yeast and moulds, or fungi, are used to manufacture cheese, soy sauce, natto (fermented soy beans), vinegar, yoghurt, and pickles.
Fermentation is not only important for preserving foods, but it may also provide health advantages.
Some fermented meals, for example, include bacteria that are comparable to those associated with gastrointestinal health. Some fermentation processes produce novel chemicals, such as lactic acid, that have anti-inflammatory properties.
To validate the health advantages of fermented foods, more research is needed.
Bacteria in the workplace and in research: Bacteria have the ability to degrade organic molecules. This is useful for tasks like garbage processing and oil spill and toxic waste cleanup.
Bacteria are used in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors to make specific compounds.
Because bacteria can grow quickly and are relatively easy to manipulate, they are utilised in molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetic studies. Bacteria are used by scientists to investigate how genes and enzymes function.
Antibiotics require bacteria to be produced.
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacterium that can be used instead of insecticides in agriculture. It doesn't have the negative environmental implications that pesticide use does.
There are many disadvantages of using this method.
Food poisoning is a condition caused primarily by the poisons generated by bacteria. Generally, bacteria causes food poisoning.
Rotting of vegetables, fruits, meat, and other foods is caused by saprotrophic bacteria, which are always present in the air and settle down in exposed food.
Spoilage of Domestic Articles Bacteria such as Cellulomonas attack textiles, leathers, canvas, and wood articles, causing them to degrade…
Denitrification occurs when bacteria such as PSEUDOMONAS, which live in waterlogged soil, take oxygen from the nitrates and convert them to gaseous nitrogen forms. They have the negative consequence of reducing the amount of usable nitrogen in the soil.
Water pollution Some bacteria, such as Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella Typhi, can rapidly proliferate in water and pollute it.
FAQs on Role of Bacteria in Industry
1. Why are Microbes Used in Sewage Treatment?
These organisms devour organic matter in wastewater, lowering the BOD (Biological oxygen demand), which is the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria when one litre of organic matter is oxidised. After that, the effluent is pumped into the settling tank.
2. What is The Role of Bacteria in Industry?
Bacteria are exploited in the industry in a variety of ways, all of which take advantage of their natural metabolic capacities. Antibiotics, probiotics, medicines, vaccines, starter cultures, pesticides, enzymes, fuels, and solvents are among the products made with them.
3. Give Three Uses of Bacteria in Industry Namely The Food Industry.
Nature uses microorganisms to carry out fermentation processes, and yeasts, moulds, and bacteria have been employed to make bread, beer, wine, vinegar, yoghurt, and cheese, as well as fermented fish, meat, and vegetables, for thousands of years.
4. If germs are the source of sickness, why don't we aim to eradicate them?
Bacteria have been on the planet for more than 3 billion years, yet early man only appeared 250 thousand years ago! So there's a good probability we'll never be able to eradicate them, and we certainly wouldn't want to. Despite the fact that germs have been a scourge of humanity since the dawn of time, we require them. Natural bacteria on our skin, the lining of our intestines, and our mucous membranes, for example, contribute to protect us against diseases caused by harmful bacteria. Furthermore, the presence of bacteria in our gut aids in the digestion of food.
5. What bacteria are beneficial?
E. coli, Streptomyces rhizobium, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and other bacteria are examples of beneficial bacteria. - Bifidobacterium bacteria are found naturally in our bodies and live in the colon, where they aid in the digestion of food and the prevention of constipation and diarrhoea.
6. How long does it take to research bacteria?
As a result, your sample will be sent to a lab for cell growth. The infected cells will multiply if there is an infection. Most disease-causing bacteria will grow to the point where they can be observed in one to two days, while certain organisms may take five days or longer.
7. How Do You Study Bacteria?
Take a grease-free glass slide and clean it.
On a clean cover slip, drop a drop of the material to be inspected.
Invert the cover slip and place it on the ring's slide.
Examine the slide with a compound microscope at low and high magnification.
8. Is microbiology a difficult subject?
Microbiology is a difficult subject to comprehend. It's quite detailed, and you'll need to recall a lot of information on microscopic organisms, morphologies, and ways of activity. It's likely that you'll suffer if you don't have a fundamental understanding of biology and chemistry, as well as the capacity to memorise facts quickly.
