Microbial biotechnology uses microorganisms and their byproducts to develop technologies across various industries. It has applications in healthcare through products like antibiotics, vaccines, and diagnostics; agriculture through improved crops and bioremediation; and industry through fermentation to produce chemicals, compounds, and pharmaceuticals. The history of microbial biotechnology began in the 17th century with the first observations of microorganisms under a microscope. Pioneers like van Leeuwenhoek, Pasteur, Koch, and Waksman made discoveries that advanced the fields of microbiology and biotechnology through techniques like staining, sterilization, and the discovery of antibiotics. Industrial applications grew through the fermentation of products like alcohol, vinegar,

1. History of Microbial
Biotechnology

2. •Biotechnology is a broad discipline in which biological
processes, organisms, cells or cellular components are
exploited to develop new technologies. New tools and
products developed by biotechnologists are useful in
research, agriculture, industry and the clinic.
•Microbiology defined as the study of organisms too
small to be seen with the naked eye. These organisms
include viruses, bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa.

3. • Microbial biotechnology has applications in 4 major industrial areas-
• Health care (Medical)
• Crop Production and agriculture
• Non food (industrial) uses of crops
• Other products (eg. Biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofules)
• Environment uses

4. • Microbial biotech, enabled by genome studies will lead to
breakthroughs
• improved vaccines
• better disease-diagnostic tools
• improved microbial agents
• reduced virulence
• new industrial catalysts
• fermentation organisms
• Bioremediation
• food safety, food security, value-added products
• human nutrition and functional foods

5. Microbial biotechnology is defined as any technological
application that uses microbiological systems, microbial
organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify
products or processes for specific use.

6. Microorganisms are used in industrial settings to produce many
important chemicals, antibiotics, organic compounds, and
pharmaceuticals.
Using living organisms as chemical synthesis factories reduces many of
the risks and polluting raw materials to be replaced by less expensive
processes.
The by-products of biosynthetic reactions are usually less toxic and
hazardous than those of industrial chemical reactions

7. Interesting Facts
• Microbes have existed on the earth for over 3.5 billion years.
• 50% of the living matter is comprised of microorganisms.
• Less than 1% of all bacteria have been identified, cultivated and
studied in the Laboratory.
• Yet we are literally surrounded by microbes all the time

8. History of Microbiology
1673-1723, Antoni
van Leeuwenhoek
(Dutch) described
live
microorganisms
that he observed in
teeth scrapings,
rain water, and
peppercorn
infusions.

9. Anton van Leeuwenhoek 1674
- 1st person to actually see living microorganisms
“wee animalcules”
（Leeuwenhoek）1632-1723

10. Louis Pasteur
1922 - 95
• Contributed best in Microbiology
• Sterilization
• Hot Air oven
• Autoclave
• Anthrax vaccine
• Rabies vaccine
• Built the Pasteur Institute
(founded- 4th June 1887,
Inaugurated- 14th Nov 1888)

11. Louis Pasteur
• Pasteur coined the word
Vaccine
• Vacca – Cow cow pox virus
are given for the prevention
of Small Pox
• Louis Pasteur considered
the father of Modern
Microbiology

12. Robert Koch
1843 - 1910
• A German scientist
• Formulated the
Bacteriological
techniques
• Staining Methods
• Discovered the
Mycobacterium and
Vibrio cholera
• Koch’s postulates- Causal
relationship between a
microorganism and a
specific disease

13. Waksman
• Professor of microbiology at Rutgers University.
• In 1952 was awarded the Nobel prize in physiology
or medicine for the part he played in the discovery
of the antibiotic streptomycin, which is produced by
a soil bacterium.

14. Applied and Industrial Microbiology

15. Fermentation
• Biochemists define fermentation as an anaerobic process that generates
energy by the breakdown of organic compounds;
• the end products can be
• microbial metabolites such as lactic acid enzmes,
• the alcohols ethanol and butanol, and acetone.
• Industrial users of fermentation have broadened
• the definition to include:
1- any process that produces bacteria and fungi
(Yeast) (biomass) as the end product and
2- biotransformation ( transformation by cells of
a compound added to the fermentation medium of a commercially
valuable compound)

16. • Industrial microbiology came into existence, primarily, based on a
naturally occurring microbiological process called fermentation.
• There are many evidences which clearly shows that ancient man knew
fermentation process and practiced it more as an art rather than as a
science.
• Early fermentation process practiced by man included the leavening of
bread, retting of flax, preparation of vinegar from wine, production of
various alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, mead and the production of
various fermented foods and milk.
• Due to invention of microscope, discovery of microorganisms and
understanding of their metabolic processes, lead to clear understanding
of the fermentation, which paved the way for the development of
Industrial Microbiology.

17. • The history of industrial microbiology can be divided into five phases,
which are:
• Phase I up to 1900 Alcohol fermentation period
• Phase II 1900-1940 Antibiotic period
• Phase III 1940-1964 Single cell protein period
• Phase IV 1964-1979 Metabolite production period
• and Phase V 1979 onward Biotechnology period

18. I Period before 1900
• For alcohol production-
• Batch system was used with practically no quality control.
• Strain selection- Pure yeast culture used at some of the breweries
• For vinegar production- Barrels-shallow trays-trickle filtered
fermenters were used with no process and quality control.
• Strain selection- Process inoculated with good vinegar

19. • For Bakers yeast, glycerol, citric acid, lactic acid and acetone/ butanol
• Fermenter-
• pH electrodes with off-line control and Temperature control were used
as process control.
• Batch and fed-batch systems with no quality control.
• Strain selection- Pure cultures were used.

20. • II Period between 1900-1940
• Production of Penicillin, streptomycin other antibiotics.
• Fermenters got improved with mechanical stirring used in small vessels,
mechanically aerated vessels.
• Process control- Sterilizable pH and oxygen electrodes.
• Batch and fed-batch now got common with quality control being very
important.
• Strain selection- Mutations and selection programme got essential

21. • III Period between 1940-1964
• Main products- Gibberellins, amino acids, nucleotides, enzymes
• Firsts of true fermenters- Vessels operated aseptically
• Process control- Use of control loops which were later computerised
• Culture method- Continuous culture introduced for brewing and some
primary metabolites
• Quality control very important.
• Strain selection- Mutations and selection programme got essential

22. • IV Period between 1964-1979
• Production of Single cell protein using hydrocarbons and other feed
stocks
• Fermenter- Pressure cycle and pressure jet vessels developed to
overcome gas and heat exchange problems.
• Process control- Use of computer linked control loops.
• Continuous culture with medium recycle.
• Quality control very important.
• Genetic engineering of producer strain attempted.

23. • V 1979-onward
• Production of heterogeneous proteins by microbial and animal cells;
Monoclonal antibodies produced by animal cells
• Fermenter- Animal cell reactors developed
• Control and sensors had been developed in phases 3 and 4
• Batch, fed-batch or continuous fermentation developed for animal cell
processes.
• Introduction of foreign genes into microbial and animal cells.
• In vitro recombinant DNA techniques used in the improvement of phase
3 products