Applied Microbiology
Code
3865
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
Department
Departamento de Ciências da Vida
Credits
7.0
Teacher in charge
Isabel Maria Godinho de Sá Nogueira
Weekly hours
4
Total hours
94
Teaching language
Português
Objectives
Prerequisites
Strongly recommended a solid knowledge in Microbiology, Cell Biology and Molecular Biology.
Subject matter
Microbial diversity, flexibility and versatility. Microbial groups of industrial importance and interest. Different stages in a biotechnologial process using microorganisms. Strain selection. Culture and production methods. Design of culture media. Kinetics and energetics of microbial growth. The growth curve and significance of different phases. Growth rates, yields and productivity. Continuous culture: the chemostat. Optimization of culture conditions. Strain improvement (mutagenesis, genetic engineering, directed evolution). Transport and regulatory mechanisms. Media and substrates for large-scale production. Production of primary and secondary metabolites. Examples. Antibiotics: mechanisms of action and microbial production.
Practicals: -
Determination of a maximum specific growth rate: effect of temperature and the carbon source;
Determination of biomass yields: effect of the type of nutrient;
Isolation of Actinomycetes from the soil,
Screening for antibiotic producers.
Bibliography
Books
“Industrial Microbiology: an Introduction”. 2001. Waites, M. J. et al. Blackwell Science.
“Biotecnologia: Fundamentos e aplicações”. 2003. Lima & Mota. Lidel.
“Biotechnology: A textbook of Industrial Microbiology”. 1990. Crueger & Crueger. Sinauer.
“Molecular Biotechnology”. 2003. Glick and Pasternak. ASM Press.
“Brock Biology of Microorganisms”.2003 . Madigan MT, Martinko JM and Parker J. Prentice-Hall International Ed. .Teaching method
Lectures, stimulating an attitude of interaction between faculty and students. Laboratory work. Seminars on topics selected by the students.
Evaluation method