Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture


Book Description

Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture Discover the positive and helpful contributions made by microorganisms to various areas of human health, food preservation and production, biotechnology, industry, environmental clean-up and sustainable agriculture. In Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture, a team of distinguished researchers delivers a comprehensive and eye-opening look at the positive side of bacteria and other microbes. The book explores the important and positive roles played by microorganisms. Divided into five sections, Good Microbes examines the use of microorganisms and the microbiome in human health, food production, industrial use, bioremediation, and sustainable agriculture. Coverage spans from food allergies, skin disorders, microbial food preservation and fermentation of various beverages and food products, and from an ethical point of view to the beneficial use of microbes in biotechnology, industry, bioeconomy, environmental remediation such as resource recovery, microbial-based environmental clean-up, plant-microbe interactions in biorestauration, biological control of plant diseases, and biological nitrogen fixation. Provides basic knowledge on bacterial biology, biochemistry, genetics, and genomics of beneficial microbes Includes practical discussions of microbial biotechnology, including the contribution of microbial biotechnology to sustainable development goals Features a comprehensive introduction and extensive index to facilitate the search for key terms. Perfect for scientists, researchers and anyone with an interest in beneficial microbes, Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture is also an indispensable resource for microbiology graduate students, applied microbiologists and policy makers.




Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity


Book Description

How to achieve sustainable agricultural production without compromising environmental quality, agro-ecosystem function and biodiversity is a serious consideration in current agricultural practices. Farming systems’ growing dependency on chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, nutrients etc.) poses serious threats with regard to crop productivity, soil fertility, the nutritional value of farm produce, management of pests and diseases, agro-ecosystem well-being, and health issues for humans and animals. At the same time, microbial inoculants in the form of biofertilizers, plant growth promoters, biopesticides, soil health managers, etc. have gained considerable attention among researchers, agriculturists, farmers and policy makers. The first volume of the book Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity - Research Perspectives highlights the efforts of global experts with regard to various aspects of microbial inoculants. Emphasis is placed on recent advances in microbiological techniques for the isolation, characterization, identification and evaluation of functional properties using biochemical and molecular tools. The taxonomic characterization of agriculturally important microorganisms is documented, along with their applications in field conditions. The book exploresthe identification, characterization and diversity analysis of endophytic microorganisms in various crops including legumes/ non-legumes, as well as the assessment of their beneficial impacts in the context of promotingplant growth. Moreover, it provides essential updates onthe diversity and role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Further chaptersexamine in detailbiopesticides, thehigh-density cultivation of bioinoculants in submerged culture, seed biopriming strategies for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, andPGPR as abio-control agent. Given its content,the book offers a valuable resource for researchers involved in research and development concerningPGPR, biopesticides and microbial inoculants.




Lactic Acid Bacteria


Book Description

Through five editions, and since 1993, Lactic Acid Bacteria: Microbiological and Functional Aspects has provided readers with information on how and why fermentation by lactic acid-producing bacteria improves the shelf life, palatability, and nutritive value of perishable foods and also how these microbes have been used as probiotics for decades. Thoroughly updated (with the current lactobacilli taxonomy) and fully revised, with a rearrangement of chapters into four sections, the Sixth Edition covers new findings on health effects, properties, production and stability of LAB as well as regulatory aspects globally. The new edition also addresses the technological use of LAB in various fermentations of food, feed, and beverage and their safety considerations. It also includes the rising concept of postbiotics and discusses new targets such as cognitive function, metabolic health, and respiratory health. Key Features: In 42 chapters, divided into 4 sections, findings are presented on health effects, properties and stability of LAB as well as production of target-specific LAB. Covers the revised ‘Lactobacillus’ taxonomy Addresses novel topics such as postbiotics Presents new discoveries related to the mechanisms of actions of lactic acid bacteria Covers the benefits of LAB in fermentation of dairy, cereal, meat, vegetable and silage, including non-Western traditional fermented foods from Africa and Asia Discusses the less-known role of LAB as food spoilers Reports on the health benefits of LAB on humans and animals Covers the global regulatory framework related to safety and efficacy




Microbes in Sustainable Agriculture


Book Description

The major aim of "microbes in sustainable agriculture" is to provide unique collection of data and a holistic view of the subject while presenting more current ideas in the field where significant advances have been made. Collectively, this book provides recent coverage of the role of microbes in sustainability of agronomic practices and thus is likely to be of tremendous value to the students, scientists, teachers of microbiology, biotechnology, environmental biology, agronomy, plant physiology and plant protection, who are interested in this area. Each chapter in this book has been contributed by a qualified team of teachers/scientists. In this context, the current state of knowledge in a specialised field is reviewed without compromising the basic conceptual frame work presented in this book. A concerted effort has been made by editors/authors to bring in quality presentation. This book thus addresses a lot of common queries and of course some odd ones that bring an interesting approach to problems solving in agricultural practices with optimum application of diverse microbes. This book presents readers with stimulation to forge thought in a non-conventional way to understand complex issues as it addresses many problems previously ignored. This book serves as an important source because of its unique compilation of data and text on the application and importance of microbes in crop productivity to achieve global food security.




Acetic Acid Bacteria


Book Description




Microbes and Microbial Technology


Book Description

This book focuses on successful application of microbial biotechnology in areas such as medicine, agriculture, environment and human health.




Microbial Diversity in the Genomic Era


Book Description

Microbial Diversity in the Genomic Era, Second Edition presents techniques used for microbial taxonomy and phylogeny, along with their applications and respective strengths and challenges. Though many advanced techniques for the identification of unknown bacterium are available in the genomic era, a far fewer number of the total microbial species have been discovered and identified to date. With that in mind, this book incorporates recently developed biosystematics methods and approaches to assess microbial taxonomy, with suitable recommendations for where to apply them across the range of bacterial identification and infectious disease research. Here, international researchers in the field first provide a broad overview of microbial genomics research and microbiome directed medicine, followed by sections on molecular tools for microbial diversity research, extremophilic microbial diversity, functional microbial diversity across application areas, microbial diversity and infectious disease research, and future directions for research. Step-by-step methodologies are provided for key techniques, along with applied case studies breaking down recent research studies into the practical components, illuminating pathways for new studies across the field. This new edition has been fully updated to address advances in the field of microbiome directed medicine, and whole genome sequencing for studying microbial diversity, considering both recent technological advances and new applications areas, from extremophile studies to the latest approaches in human microbiome analysis. - Instructs in techniques used for microbial taxonomy and phylogeny, with discussions of their applications and respective pros and cons - Reviews the evolving field of microbial typing and the genomic technologies that enable comparative metagenomic analysis of complex microbial environments - Covers microbiome directed translational research, as well as whole genome sequencing for studying microbial diversity, with newly added research protocols and case studies - Reviews future applications in the field of microbiome directed medicine - Features chapter contributions from global experts in the field




Bacterial Secondary Metabolites


Book Description

Bacterial Secondary Metabolites: Synthesis and Applications in Agroecosystem presents the structure, properties, and biotechnological applications of bacterial metabolites and their upcoming industrial, pharmaceutical, antimicrobial, and anticancer applications. Chapters cover topics such as the use of lactic acid bacteria as an antifungal and antibacterial agent, bacterial siderophores structure and potential applications, and the role of cyanobacteria metabolites in disease management, among others. Plant and agri-food environmental scientists and researchers, graduate and post-graduate students in related fields will benefit from this reference book which is published as part of the series Nanobiotechnology for Plant Protection. - Explores how research might lead to the production of new bio-based commercial solutions to tackle global agricultural and human diseases - Contains extensive information to understand the intricate processes of cryptic genes and their relationship to the synthesis of bioactive chemicals - Provides in-depth insights into microbial biotechnology, namely secondary metabolites




Uncultivated Microorganisms


Book Description

In 1898, an Austrian microbiologist Heinrich Winterberg made a curious observation: the number of microbial cells in his samples did not match the number of colonies formed on nutrient media (Winterberg 1898). About a decade later, J. Amann qu- tified this mismatch, which turned out to be surprisingly large, with non-growing cells outnumbering the cultivable ones almost 150 times (Amann 1911). These papers signify some of the earliest steps towards the discovery of an important phenomenon known today as the Great Plate Count Anomaly (Staley and Konopka 1985). Note how early in the history of microbiology these steps were taken. Detecting the Anomaly almost certainly required the Plate. If so, then the period from 1881 to 1887, the years when Robert Koch and Petri introduced their key inventions (Koch 1881; Petri 1887), sets the earliest boundary for the discovery, which is remarkably close to the 1898 observations by H. Winterberg. Celebrating its 111th anniversary, the Great Plate Count Anomaly today is arguably the oldest unresolved microbiological phenomenon. In the years to follow, the Anomaly was repeatedly confirmed by all microb- logists who cared to compare the cell count in the inoculum to the colony count in the Petri dish (cf., Cholodny 1929; Butkevich 1932; Butkevich and Butkevich 1936). By mid-century, the remarkable difference between the two counts became a universally recognized phenomenon, acknowledged by several classics of the time (Waksman and Hotchkiss 1937; ZoBell 1946; Jannasch and Jones 1959).




Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity


Book Description

The performance of crops in the soil largely depends on the physico-chemical components of the soil, which regulate the availability of nutrients as well as abiotic and biotic stresses. Microbes are the integral component of any agricultural soil, playing a vital role in regulating the bioavailability of nutrients, the tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses and management of seed-borneand soil-borne plant diseases. The second volume of the book Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity - Functional Applications reflects the pioneering efforts of eminent researchers to explore the functions of promising microbes as microbial inoculants, establish inoculants for field applications and promote corresponding knowledge among farming communities. In this volume, readers will find dedicated chapters on the role of microbes as biofertilizers and biopesticides in the improvement of crop plants, managing soil fertility and plant health, enhancing the efficiency of soil nutrients and establishing systemic phytopathogen resistance in plants, as well as managing various kinds of plant stress by applying microbial inoculants. The impact of microbial inoculants on the remediation of heavy metals, soil carbon sequestration, function of rhizosphere microbial communities and remediation of heavy metal contaminated agricultural soils is also covered in great detail. In this Volume, a major focus is on the approaches, strategies, advances and technologies used to develop suitable and sustainable delivery systems for microbial inoculants in field applications. Subsequent chapters investigate the role of nanomaterials in agriculture and the nanoparticle-mediated biocontrol of nematodes. An overview of the challenges facing the regulation and registration of biopesticides in India rounds out the coverage.