Industrial Microbiology
Use of microorganisms, usually grown on a large scale, to obtain valuable commercial products by way of significant chemical transformations is called industrial microbiology. This discipline of microbiology dates back and originated with beat and wine making fermentation processes (alcoholic fermentation) and subsequently expanded in the area of production of pharmaceuticals (e.g., antibiotics), food additives (e.g., amino acids), organic acids (e.g., butyric acid and citric acid), enzymes (e.g., amylases, proteases), and virtamins. All these products are obtained by enhancing the metabolic reactions that microorganism were already capable of carrying out in natural conditions. But, at present, in addition to this traditional industrial microbiology, a new era of microbial biotechnology is fastly expanding in which the genes of the microorganisms responsible for such and other metabolic reactions are being manipulated to give to many new products at commercial level .

(iii) grow rapidly and produce the desired product in a relatively short period of time.

(iv) be able to grow in a relatively inexpensive nutrient medium (culture medium) obtainable in bulk quantities.

(v) not be pathogenic, especially to humans or economically animals or plants, and

(vi) be amenable to genetic manipulation so that its genetic material can be easily altered to obtain increased yields.

Microbial products of industrial interest are of several major types including the microbial cells themselves (yeasts cultivated for food, baking or brewing; production of single cell protein, etc.) and substances produced by the microbial cells). This chapter covers, however, the brief accounts of the microbial production of organic acid, amino acids, enzyme, alcohols, alcohols, other alcoholic beverages, antibiotics, food supplement products and vitamins.