EduNinja• Describe how fermenters can be used for the large-scale production of useful products by bacteria and fungi, including insulin, penicillin and mycoprotein
Penicillin is an antibiotic.
Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming.
Name the type of microorganism that produces the antibiotic penicillin.
Describe what happens to the liquid containing penicillin after it is collected from the fermenter.
Penicillin is produced by biotechnology industries.
Fig. 1.1 is a flow diagram of some of the steps in the production of penicillin.
Fig. 1.1
Penicillin is produced in the fermenter shown in Fig. 1.1. A variety of nutrients, X, Y and Z, are mixed together and added to the fermenter in step 1.
List two nutrients that need to be added to a fermenter to produce penicillin.
1
2
Using the information in Fig. 1.1, outline the events occurring from step 4 to step 8 during the production of penicillin.
Penicillin is an antibiotic produced by the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum.
Fig. 5.1 shows the process used to produce penicillin.
Penicillin is not needed for the growth of P. chrysogenum.
State the evidence from Fig. 5.2 that shows that penicillin is not needed for this growth.
Downstream processing refers to all the processes that occur to the contents of the fermenter after it is emptied. This involves making penicillin into a form that can be used as a medicine. Suggest why downstream processing is necessary.
Penicillin is an antibiotic produced by the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum.
Fig. 5.1 shows the process used to produce penicillin.
Penicillin is not needed for the growth of P. chrysogenum.
State the evidence from Fig. 5.2 that shows that penicillin is not needed for this growth.
The people in charge of the penicillin production emptied the fermenter after 160 hours. Use the information in Fig. 5.2 to suggest why they did not allow the fermentation to continue for longer.
Downstream processing refers to all the processes that occur to the contents of the fermenter after it is emptied. This involves making penicillin into a form that can be used as a medicine. Suggest why downstream processing is necessary.
The kingdom Fungi contains a great diversity of organisms including yeasts, moulds and mushrooms.
Like plants, fungi contain nuclei and mitochondria.
Penicillium is a mould fungus that is used to make antibiotics.
Describe how Penicillium is used to make the antibiotic penicillin.
Bacteria are useful in biotechnology and genetic engineering.
Fig. 6.1 shows a photomicrograph of a bacterium.
Fig. 6.1
Genetically modified bacteria are often grown in fermenters.
State the name of one commercial product, other than insulin, that is made in fermenters.