The Commercial Production of Microorganism

It is a well-known fact that industrial and agriculture waste has become a fundamental and controversial issue today. A phenomenal amount of waste is produced annually on an alarming scale and controlling this has become a pivotal role for our environment. With rapid growth in social and economic systems worldwide, an increase in global demand for natural resources that include land, water, minerals, energy resources, food and timber has been noted as well. This sprouts questions on how can we manage the increment of waste through implementation of eco-friendly strategies without harming the environment. In this report we explore the idea of introducing microorganism as a tool in aiding the fight against waste and its effects on the environment.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) introduced the implementation of “single cell protein” (SCP) as a strategy in 1967, (Srividya. 2013), as a substitute to replace the original “microbial protein” and “petraprotien” terminology. There has been many noted applications of SCP in the food and feed industries. A variety of friendly bacteria, marine microalgae, yeasts and moulds are but some of the examples of SCPs that have been manipulated in our fight to kerb global waste. In order to solve the worldwide problem of protein shortage, many microorganisms have been used to convert various substrates into biomass that led to a boom in SCP production technologies as a result. SCP production involves bioconversion processes that is consumed by bacteria introduced to the matter, creating chemical reactions that eradicate odours, sludge, pollution or unsightly mess. In other words, this transforms low-value by-products in to matter with added nutritional value and in return, creating a product that is viable and valuable to the market. (Srividya, 2013. ). Bacteria exists in all kinds of environments, from the harshest conditions to the most conducive. According to Saha, 2014. , soil microorganisms are increasingly becoming an important source in the search for industrially important molecules.

There has been a significant amount of research conducted recently pertaining to the production of SCP exposed to soil microorganisms found in a soil. Saha (2014) mentions that soil bacteria produce unique biologically active metabolites that react to waste materials producing commercially viable products. On the same note, SCP contributes in same ways in the food industry. Processes such as fermentation, brewing, backing, cheese and butter manufacturing yield profitable products. SCP produced chemicals such as ethanol, acetone, organic acid and enzymes are but some of the products that have proven its benefits to the society. Antibiotics, vaccines, steroids and other advantageous medicines that have impacted the world are also by products of SCP. Hence, it is pragmatic that we see the immense potential that lies in screening effective bacteria strains found in waste dump sites for their benefits to the human race. (Saha, 2014. )