Test: Microbes in Household Products, Industrial Products (January 9) - NEET MCQ

• Propionibacterium sharmanii is responsible for the production of large holes in Swiss cheese. This is a process that occurs during the cheese's aging process.
• Propionibacterium sharmanii is a type of bacteria that can convert lactic acid into propionic acid, carbon dioxide, and water. This bacterium is specifically used in the production of Swiss cheese.
• During the cheese-making process, the cheese is warmed, which encourages the growth of Propionibacterium sharmanii. As the bacteria metabolize the lactic acid, they produce carbon dioxide gas.
• The carbon dioxide gas cannot escape the cheese, which is semisolid, leading to the formation of bubbles or holes within the cheese.
• As the cheese ages, the bacteria continue to produce gas, and the holes, or 'eyes', in the cheese continue to grow larger. The size of the holes can be controlled by adjusting the temperature and aging time of the cheese.

Beverages of low alcoholic content (less than about 9% alcohol) are fermented from grains and are usually considered to be beers. Wines, on the other hand, are fermented to a higher percentage of alcohol (10 - 18% alcohol) and are usually fermented from fruit juice. Higher levels of alcohol kill or inhibit bacteria stopping spoilage as well as fermentation. Vodka, whiskey, and other alcoholic beverages with alcohol contents well above 20% are produced by distilling alcohol from a yeast-fermented beverage. Many liquors are produced by using distilled alcohol (as high as 95% alcohol) to extract various flavoring materials after which the resulting extract is diluted with water and often sugar to make a flavored alcoholic beverages. Unless the alcoholic content of the resulting beverage is well above 15%, the material will not be stable and may start to ferment or even decay in storage. Hence, most liquors are atleast 20% alcohol.

Rennet is extracted from the stomach of the calf and is used to prepare cottage cheese.

Among the given antibotics, tetracyclines, auromycins obtained from Streptomyces aureofaciens is used to cure whooping cough. Some other antibiotics  are also found  useful e.g. chloramphenicol, erythromycin.

The yeast Saccharmyces cerevisiae, also known as brewer's yeast, is used for fermenting malted cereals an fruit juices to produce ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Microbes (yeasts in particular) have been used for the production of beverages, such as wine, beer, whisky, brandy and rum.

Large holes in Swiss cheese are formed by the CO2 produced (causing holes) by a bacterium called Propionibacterium shermanii.

The dough used for making bread is fermented by saccharomyces cerevisiae or commonly called baker’s yeast. Co2 released during the process of fermentation gives a puffy appearance to the dough. It is used to make foods like idli, dosa, bread, etc.

Streptokinase (Tissue Plasminogen Activator or TPA) is an enzyme obtained from the cultures of some haemolytic bacterium Streptococcus and modified genetically to function as clot buster. It has fibrinolytic effect. Therefore, it helps in clearing blood clots inside the blood vessels in patients who have undergone myocardial infarction leading to heart attack, through dissolution of intravascular fibrin.

Roquefort cheese is formed by ripening with the fungi penicillium roqueforti, for a particular flavour.

In 1940, E. Chain and H. Florey obtained a relatively stable preparation of penicillin, which was extensively used to treat wounded American soldiers in World War II.