REQUIREMENT FOR MICROBIAL GROWTH
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENT
NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT
What is Microbial GROWTH
Living organisms grow and reproduce. The growth indicates that an organism is in active
metabolism.
In plants & animals, we can see the increase in height or size. Growth common refers to
increase in size but with microorganisms particularly bacteria, this term refers to changes in total
population rather than increase in size or mass of individual organisms.
The change in population in bacteria chiefly involves Binary fission. A cell dividing by binary
fission is immortal unless subjected to stress by nutrient depletion or environmental stress.
Therefore, a single bacterium continuously divides. 1 cell divides and providing 2 cells and 2
cells divide providing 4 cells and so on. Therefore, the population increases by geometric
progression.
REQUIREMENT FOR MICROBIAL GROWTH
Temperature is the most important factor that determines the rate of growth, multiplication,
survival, and death of all living organisms.
High temperatures damage microbes by, denaturing enzymes, transport carriers and other
proteins.
Microbial membrane are disrupted by temperature extremes.
At very low temperatures membranes also solidify and enzymes also do not function properly.
PSYCHROPHILE: The term psychrophile was first used by S. Schmidt-Nelson.
Ø Extremophilic organisms that are capable of growth and reproduction in cold temperatures
Ø Temperature range: −20°C to +10°C.
Examples: Oscillatoria, Chlamydomonas nivalis, Methanogenium, etc.
MESOPHILES: Grows best in moderate temperature.
Ø Temperature range: 20°C to 45°C.
Examples: Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, etc.
THERMOPHILES: Derived from Greek word thermotita meaning heat and philia meaning love.
Ø Heat-loving microorganisms.
Grow at 50°C or higher. Their growth minimum is usually around 45°C and often optima
between 50 and 80°C.
Examples: Thermus aquaticus, Geogemma barossii, etc.
pH refers to negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration.
Ø Microbial growth is strongly affected by the pH of the medium.
Drastic variations in cytoplasmic pH disrupt the plasma membrane or inhibit the activity of
enzymes and membrane transport protein.
Acidophiles: Grow between pH 0 and 5.5.
Examples: Ferroplasma, Thiobacillus
thioxidans, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, etc.
Alkalophiles: Grow between pH range of
7.5 to 14.
Examples: Thermococcus alcaliphilus, etc.
Neutrophiles: Grow between pH 5.5 to 8.0.
Examples: Lactobacillus acidophillus, E. coli, Pseudomonas aerunginosa, etc.
Osmotic pressure is the minimum pressure which needs to be applied to a solution to prevent
the inward flow of water across a SPM.
Types of solution:
1. Hypotonic 2. Isotonic 3. Hypertonic
Water activity of a solution is 1/100 the relative humidity of the solution.
It is equivalent to the ratio of the vapour pressure of solution to that of pure water.
Water activity = Vapour pressure of solution / Vapour pressure of pure water.
Classification of Bacteria according to vapour pressure
1. Osmotolerant are those microorganisms which can grow at relatively high salt concentration.
Examples: Aeromonas spp., Staphylococcus spp, etc.
2. Halophiles- Grow in the presence of salt at conc. Above 0.2 to 0.6. Examples: Halobacterium
halobium
CHEMICAL REQUIREMENT
Every organism must find in its environment all of the substances required for energy generation
and cellular biosynthesis.
The chemicals and elements of this environment that are utilized for bacterial growth are referred
to as nutrients or nutritional requirements.
In the laboratory, bacteria are grown in culture media which are designed to provide all the
essential nutrients in solution for bacterial growth. At an elementary level, the nutritional
requirements of a bacterium such as E. coli are revealed by the cell's elemental composition,
which consists of C, H, O, N, S. P, K, Mg, Fe, Ca, Mn, and traces of Zn, Co, Cu, and Mo.
These elements are found in the form of water, inorganic ions, small molecules, and
macromolecules which serve either a structural or functional role in the cells.
The general physiological functions of the elements are outlined in the Table.
MAJOR ELEMENTAL COMPOSITIONOF MICROBIAL CELL
CARBON
• Structural backbone of living matter, it is needed for all organic compounds to make up a
living cell.
• Chemoheterotrophs get most of their carbon from the source of their energy---organic
materials such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids.
• Chemoautotrophs and photoautotrophs derive their carbon from carbon dioxide
NITROGEN, SULFER, PHOSPHORUS
• For synthesis of cellular material.
• Nitrogen and sulfur is needed for protein synthesis .
• Nitrogen and phosphorus is needed for syntheses of DNA, RNA and ATP.
• Nitrogen- 14% dry weight of a bacterial cell Sulfur and phosphorus- 4%.
TRACE ELEMENTS
• Microbes require very small amounts of other mineral elements, such as Fe, Cu, Mo, Zn.
• Essential for certain functions of certain enzymes.
• Assumed to be naturally present in tap water and other components of media.
OXYGEN:
• Obligate Aerobes - only aerobic growth, oxygen required, growth occurs with high
concentration of oxygen.
• Facultative Aerobes - both aerobic and anaerobic growth, greater growth in presence of
water, growth is best in presence of water but still grows without presence of oxygen.
• Obligate Anaerobe - only anaerobic growth, growth ceases in presence of oxygen, growth
occurs only when there is no oxygen.
• Aerotolerate Anaerobe - only anaerobic growth, but continues in presence of oxygen,
oxygen has no effect.
• Microaerophiles - only aerobic growth, oxygen required in low concentration, growth occurs
only where a low concentration of oxygen has diffused into medium.
ORGANIC GROWTH FACTORS:
Essential organic compounds an organism is unable to synthesize, they must be directly obtained
from the environment.
Growth factors are organized into three categories.
1.purines and pyrimidines: required for synthesis of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA)
2.amino acids: required for the synthesis of proteins
3.vitamins: needed as coenzymes and functional groups of certain enzymes.
Some bacteria lack the enzymes needed for synthesis for certain vitamins, so they must obtain
them directly Examples: amino acids, purines, pyrimidines
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