Q. Can Nutrition affecting the growth of microorganism?
Ans.
Food is food to humans and microbes - be it carbohydrates, proteins or fats. The nutritional requirements of bacteria, however, differ from species to species. The nutrition is required by bacteria not only as a source of energy but also for manufacturing cellular components. The majority of the bacterial species use naturally- occurring organic materials viz., carbohydrates, proteins and fats ,as a source of energy and the essential elements like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus. Other elements like iron, magnesium, potassium are required in minute quantities.
Generally, based on the nutritional requirements, the bacteria can be divided into two groups, namely, autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. The autotrophic bacteria requirements of carbon are derived from carbon dioxide or from carbonates and the requirement for nitrogen from gaseous nitrogen or nitrites and nitrates. They have the ability to synthesize its other essential requirements from inorganic substances like sodium chloride (NaCl), dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (K,HPO,) etc. for growth and survival. From these simple substances they synthesize complex structures like carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, enzymes etc. The heterotrophic bacteria require one or several preformed organic compounds which are readily available for their growth. These requirements range from a single vitamin to several complex organic compounds. By far, the heterotrophic bacteria are the most commonly found type of bacteria and are widely distributed.