Microbes in Human Welfare

Microbes in Household Products

Microorganisms like Lactobacillus (LAB) convert milk into curd by producing acids that coagulate and partially digest milk proteins, while Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) is used to ferment dough for bread and idli.

Microbes in Industrial Production

Industrially, microbes are grown in large vessels called fermenters to produce beverages (wine, beer via yeast fermentation) and life-saving antibiotics like penicillin from the fungus Penicillium notatum.

Microbes in Sewage Treatment

Municipal wastewater is treated in Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) using aerobic and anaerobic microbes in secondary treatment to reduce biological oxygen demand (BOD) and produce biogas.

Microbes as Biofertilisers

Biofertilisers are organisms that enrich nutrient quality of the soil; examples include Rhizobium in legume root nodules for nitrogen fixation, Azospirillum, and Mycorrhiza fungi for phosphorus absorption.

Microbes as Biocontrol Agents

Biological control of pests and diseases involves using natural predators or pathogens, such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria to control caterpillar pests and Trichoderma fungi against plant pathogens.