1.2 - Useful Microorganisms

Applications of Useful Microorganisms in Daily Life

Useful microorganisms are applied in medicine, agriculture and industry.

Field	Applications and examples
Medicine	Penicillium chrysogenum produces antibiotics such as penicillin. Recombinant DNA of E. coli is used to produce hormones such as insulin. Rotavirus, Salmonella sp. and poliovirus are used in vaccine production.
Agriculture	Nitrifying bacteria such as Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrobacter sp. are useful in agriculture. Useful microorganisms also assist animal digestion.
Industry	Yeast, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Bifidobacteria sp. are used in food and beverage production. Microorganisms are also applied in the production of leather goods.

Examples of food production:

• Bread: yeast.
• Yoghurt: Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

The use of microorganisms in manufacturing food, beverages and other products supports industrial activity and entrepreneurship.

Potential Uses in Biotechnology and Environmental Sustainability

Advances in biotechnology, especially green biotechnology, enable microorganisms to:

• Treat sewage and wastewater.
• Convert agricultural waste into useful products through fermentation.
• Produce eco enzymes.

Eco enzyme cleaning solution

• Eco enzyme is a natural product obtained from the fermentation of agricultural waste such as fruit or vegetable waste.
• Using eco enzyme to clean oily substances is a Green Technology application in the Waste and Wastewater Management Sector.

Aspect	Eco enzyme cleaning solution vs chemical cleaning substance
Production	Fermentation of agricultural waste vs use of chemical substances.
Action on fat and grease	Eco-enzyme enzymes decompose fat and grease into smaller molecules; chemical surfactants emulsify them into foam.
Ease of use	Fat and grease are removed easily without hard scrubbing vs hard scrubbing is required.
Drainage	Small molecules produced by enzymes do not clog drains vs surfactant foam clogs drains.
Cost	Low vs high.
Waste production	Less vs more.
Environmental effect	Environmentally friendly vs pollutes the environment.

Lactobacillus sp. bacterial serum

• Used to treat wastewater and sludge in drainage systems.
• Removes foul odour.
• Facilitates the digestion of livestock.
• Makes compost.
• Produces enzymes.
• Improves the fishing industry.