● Microbes especially `color{Violet}"yeasts"` have been used from time immemorial for the production of `color{Violet}"beverages"` like wine, beer, whisky, brandy or rum.

● For this purpose the same `color{Violet}"yeast 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦"` used for bread-making and commonly called `color{Violet}"brewer’s yeast"`, is used for fermenting `color{Violet}"malted cereals"` and `color{Violet}"fruit juices"`, to produce ethanol.



● Depending on the type of the `color{Violet}"raw material"` used for fermentation and the `color{Violet}"type of processing"` (with or without distillation), different types of `color{Violet}"alcoholic drinks"` are obtained.

● `color{Brown}"Wine and beer"` are produced `color{Violet}"without distillation"` whereas `color{Brown}"whisky, brandy and rum"` are produced by `color{Violet}"distillation"` of the fermented broth.

● `color{Violet}"Antibiotics"` produced by microbes are regarded as one of the `color{Violet}"most significant discoveries"` of the twentieth century and have greatly contributed towards the `color{Violet}"welfare"` of the human society.

● `color{Violet}"Anti"` is a Greek word that means `color{Violet}"against"`, and `color{Violet}"bio"` means `color{Violet}"life"`, together they mean `color{Violet}"against life"` (in the context of disease causing organisms); whereas with reference to `color{Violet}"human beings"`, they are `color{Violet}"pro life"` and not against.

● Antibiotics are `color{Violet}"chemical substances"`, which are produced by some microbes and can `color{Violet}"kill or retard the growth"` of other (disease-causing) microbes.

● `color{Violet}"Penicillin"` was the first antibiotic to be discovered, and it was a `color{Violet}"chance discovery"`.

● `color{Violet}"Alexander Fleming"` while working on `color{Violet}"𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘪 "` bacteria, once observed a mould growing in one of his unwashed culture plates around which `color{Violet}"𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘪 "`could not grow.

● He found out that it was due to a chemical `color{Violet}"produced by the mould"` and he named it `color{Violet}"Penicillin"` after the mould `color{Violet}"𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘮"`.



● However, its full potential as an effective antibiotic was established much later by `color{Violet}"Ernest Chain"` and `color{Violet}"Howard Florey"`.

● This antibiotic was extensively used to treat `color{Violet}"American soldiers"` wounded in `color{Violet}"World War I"`I.

● `color{Violet}"Fleming"`, `color{Violet}"Chain"` and `color{Violet}"Florey"` were awarded the `color{Violet}"Nobel Prize"` in 1945, for this discovery.

● After Penicillin, other `color{Violet}"antibiotics"` were also `color{Violet}"purified"` from other microbes

● Antibiotics have greatly improved our capacity to `color{Violet}"treat deadly diseases"` such as plague, whooping cough (kali khansi ), diphtheria (gal ghotu) and leprosy (kusht rog), which used to`color{Violet}" kill millions"` all over the globe.

● Today, we cannot imagine a `color{Violet}"world without antibiotics"`.

● Microbes are also used for commercial and industrial production of certain chemicals like `color{Violet}"organic acids"`, `color{Violet}"alcohols"` and `color{Violet}"enzymes"`.

`star` `color{Brown}"Acids"`:
Examples of acid producers are:

● `color{Violet}"𝘈𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳"` (a fungus) of citric acid

● `color{Violet}"𝘈𝘤𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘵𝘪"` (a bacterium) of acetic acid

● `color{Violet}"𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘮"` (a bacterium) of butyric acid

● `color{Violet}"𝘓𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴"` (a bacterium) of lactic acid.

`star` `color{Brown}"Alcohol"`:

● Yeast (`color{Violet}"𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦"`) is used for commercial production of ethanol.

`star` `color{Brown}"Enzymes"`:

● `color{Violet}"Microbes"` are also used for production of enzymes.

● `color{Violet}"Lipases"` are used in `color{Violet}"detergent formulations"` and are helpful in `color{Violet}"removing oily stains"` from the laundry.

● The `color{Violet}"bottled fruit juices"` bought from the market are `color{Violet}"clearer"` as compared to those made at home.

● This is because the bottled juices are `color{Violet}"clarified"` by the use of `color{Violet}"pectinases"` and `color{Violet}"proteases"`.

`star` `color{Brown}"Therapeutic Agents"`

● `color{Violet}"Streptokinase"` produced by the bacterium `color{Violet}"𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴"` and modified by genetic engineering is used as a ‘clot buster’ for `color{Violet}"removing clots"` from the blood vessels of patients who have undergone `color{Violet}"myocardial infraction"` leading to heart attack.



● Another bioactive molecule, `color{Violet}"cyclosporin A"`, that is used as an `color{Violet}"immunosuppressive agent"` in organ-transplant patients, is produced by the fungus `color{Violet}"𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮"`.

● `color{Violet}"Statins"` produced by the yeast `color{Violet}"𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴"` have been commercialised as `color{Violet}"blood-cholesterol lowering"` agents.

It acts by `color{Violet}"competitively inhibiting"` the enzyme responsible for `color{Violet}"synthesis of cholesterol"`.