Bacteria are the most common type of life on Earth. They can be found in a variety of environments, including Antarctic ice, hot hydrothermal vents, and even your stomach. The majority of them do not harm us. Many of these organisms are critical to our survival.
Bacteria aid in the digestion of food in many animals, the growth of trees, and the recycling of nutrients in the environment. They’re also employed in biotechnology to make everything from food to electricity to safe drinking water.
Benefits of a useful bacterium
Bacteria play an important role in ecology. They play a vital role in decomposition. They’re also necessary for the carbon and nitrogen cycles to work properly. The human intestines are home to billions of useful bacteria. They aid in the digestion of food, the production of vitamins, and a variety of other functions. Bacteria are also used by humans in a variety of other ways, including:
- Producing ethanol and enzymes, for example.
- Producing pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics and vaccinations.
- Producing biogas (e.g., methane).
- Oil spills and toxic waste cleanup
- Getting rid of plant pests.
- Gene therapy involves transferring normal genes to human cells.
Microorganisms and their Uses
If you are looking at how are some microbes useful to us, here are the steps to consider:
1.Bacteria are the main participants in this scenario. Bacteria aid fermentation, which aids in the production of various dairy products from milk, such as curd, buttermilk, butter, and cheese. The most prevalent genus of bacteria utilised in the commercial manufacturing of this product is Streptococcus.
2.Alcoholic beverages:
Fermentation is used to make or create alcoholic beverages. Each drink is made with a different base ingredient, such as potatoes or grapes. The alcohol is then fermented, distilled, and produced. Different forms of fungus, such as yeast, are often used by microorganisms here. Bacteria and fungi are even used by some. Wine, rum, vodka, and other alcoholic beverages are examples.
3.Organic acids:
Fungi are used to make organic acids in the commercial world. Fungi such as Acetobacter, Rhizopus, and Penicillium are utilised to ferment substrates such as fruits and sugar-containing syrups. Acetic acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, fumaric acid, and lactic acid are examples of acids that are produced and made on a big scale using fungus. such as
Lactic acid(curd)-A common example is the production of curd from milk. Micro-organisms such as Lactobacillus and others commonly called lactic acid bacteria (LAB) grow in milk and convert it to curd. During growth, the LAB produces acids that coagulate and partially digest the milk proteins. A small amount of curd added to the fresh milk as inoculum or starter contains millions of LAB, which at suitable temperatures multiply, thus converting milk to curd, which also improves its nutritional quality by increasing vitamin B12. In our stomachs too, the LAB plays a very beneficial role in checking disease-causing microbes.
4.Enzymes are a type of enzyme: Lipase, lactase, protease, and peptidase are just a handful of enzymes that are made from bacteria. Such as Proteases enzyme obtained from Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and utilised from the formation of detergents in the detergent industry [For removing proteinous strains on clothes]. The bottled juices are clarified by the use of pectinases and proteases.
5.Biofertilizer: Micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi and cyanobacteria) employed to enhance the availability of nutrients like nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) to crops are called biofertilisers. You know that several micro-organisms fix atmospheric nitrogen and make them available to plants. Examples of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms are bacteria and Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae); some of these are free-living, while others form a symbiotic association with plant roots. Rhizobia form root nodules in legume crops and some Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) form a symbiotic association with the fern Azolla.
6.Steroid manufacturing: Steroids are made from bacteria and fungi and then infused into the body for a myriad of purposes.
7.Assistance with sewage treatment: We know that large quantities of wastewater are generated every day in cities and towns. A major component of this waste is human excreta. This municipal wastewater is also called sewage. It contains large amounts of organic matter and microbes. Many of which are pathogenic. sewage is treated in sewage treatment plants (STPs) to make it less polluting. Treatment of wastewater is done by the heterotrophic microbes naturally present in the sewage.
8.Antibiotics such as penicillin have significantly reduced the number of deaths caused by bacterial infections. However, increased antibiotic use in many Western countries has resulted in the adaptation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can result in outbreaks of so-called “superbugs” like Multi-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Scientists now believe that early exposure to bacteria is necessary for our immune systems to learn the difference between healthy and dangerous germs.
Conclusion
Small, single-celled creatures that can be found in vast numbers in all habitats, both within and outside of other species, are known as useful bacteria. Although some bacteria are harmful, the benign are in abundance. They support a diverse range of plant and animal life and are used in both industrial and medicinal operations. Bacteria are supposed to be the earliest species to appear on the planet, which happened roughly 4 billion years ago. Bacteria-like creatures are the oldest known fossils.