Bacterial
Microorganisms
Nutrition
The
microbial
cell
is
extremely
complex.
Nearly
70
per
cent
of
the
weight
of
the
cell
is
water
and
the
rest
in
solid
matter.
In
addition
to
oxygen
and
hydrogen
the
microbial
cell
contains
four
other
major
elements
such
as
carbon,
nitrogen,
phosphorus
and
sulphur.
These
six
together,
account
for
a
bout
95%
of
the
cellular
dry
weight.
Other
elements
found
in
lesser
amounts
are
K+,
Mg++,
Ca++,
Na+,
Fe+++,
Mn++,
Co++,
CUT,
Mo++++
and
Zn++.
Microorganisms
therefore
need
a
large
number
of
elements
for
survival
and
growth.
The
requirement
for
carbon,
nitrogen,
sulphur
and
oxygen
cannot
be
easily
described
Since
microorganisms
differ
with
respect
to
the
chemical
form
in
which
these
elements
are
utilized
as
nutrients.Carbon
is
a
constituent
of
all
organic
cell
material
and
therefore
represents
nearly
50
per
cent
of
the
cell
dry
weight.
Nitrogen
is
found
mostly
in
proteins,
nucleic
acids,
coenzymes
etc.
Phosphorus
is
a
major
constituent
of
nucleic
acids
while
sulphur
is
a
constituent
of
mainly
proteins
and
coenzymes.
|