10 Main Characteristics of Microbes

The following points highlight the ten main characteristics of microbes.

Microbe Characteristic # 1:

The organism must be able to grow in a simple medium and should preferably not require growth factors (i.e., pre-formed vi­tamins, nucleotides, and acids) outside those which may be present in the indus­trial medium in which it is grown.

Microbe Characteristic # 2:

The organism should be able to grow vigo­rously and rapidly in the medium in use. A slow growing organism no matter how efficient it is, in terms of the production of the target material, could be a liability.

Microbe Characteristic # 3:

Not only should the organism grow rap­idly, but it should also produce the desired materials, whether they be cells or meta­bolic products, in as short a time as pos­sible, for reasons given above.

Microbe Characteristic # 4:

Its end products should not include toxic and other undesirable materials especially if these end products are for internal con­sumption.

Microbe Characteristic # 5:

The organism should have a reasonable ge­netic, and hence physiological stability.

Microbe Characteristic # 6:

The organism should lend itself to a suit­able method of product harvest at the end of the fermentation.

Microbe Characteristic # 7:

Wherever possible, organisms which have physiological requirements and protect them against competition from contami­nants should be used.

Microbe Characteristic # 8:

The organism should be reasonably resis­tant to predators such as Bdellovibrio spp or bacteriophages.

Microbe Characteristic # 9:

Where practicable the organism should not be too highly demanding of oxygen as aera­tion (through greater power demand for agitation of the fermentor impellers, forced air injection, etc.) contributes about 20% of the cost of the finished product.

Microbe Characteristic # 10:

Lastly, the organism should be fairly eas­ily amenable to genetic manipulation to en­able the establishment of strains with more acceptable properties.