P H Y S IC A L FA C TO R S

IN FLU EN C IN G TH E
G R O W TH O F
M IC R O O R G A N IS M S
Guided by:
Dr. Ruchi Seth Presented By :
Assistant Professor - I Prachi Gupta
Department of B.Sc.
Biotechnology Biotechnology
I-Semester
 Growth
An orderly increase in the quantity of all
the cellular constituents.
The growth of microorganisms is
influenced by various physical and
chemical factors of their environment.
Physical factors- Temperature, pH,
osmotic pressure, hydrostatic pressure
and radiation.
Chemical factors- Oxygen, carbon,
nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, etc.
Physical factors influencing the
growth of microorganisms

Temperatu Osmotic
pH
re Pressure

Hydrostati
Radiation
c Pressure
 Temperature

Temperature is the most important factor

that determines the rate of growth,
multiplication, survival, and death of all living
organisms.
High temperatures damage microbes by
denaturing enzymes, transport carriers, and
other proteins.
Microbial membrane are disrupted by
temperature extremes.
At very low temperatures membranes also
solidify and enzymes also do not function
properly.
Types of temperature

Minimum growth
temperature

Optimum growth
temperature

Maximum growth
temperature
1. Minimum growth temperature
The lowest temperature at which
organisms grow is the minimum growth
temperature.

2. Optimum growth temperature

The temperature at which the most rapid
rate of multiplication occurs.

3. Maximum growth temperature

The highest temperature at which
growth occurs.
A temperature only slightly above this
point frequently kills the microorganisms
by inactivating critical enzymes.
Classification of bacteria according to growth
temperature
 Psychrophiles/cryophiles-
1. The term psychrophile was first used by
S. Schmidt-Nelson.
2. Extremophilic organisms that are
capable ofgrowthandreproductionin
cold temperatures
3. Temperature range: 20C to +10C.
4. Examples: Oscillatoria, Chlamydomonas
nivalis, Methanogenium, etc.
 Mesophiles-
1. Grows best in
moderatetemperature.
2. Temperature range: 20C to 45C.
3. Examples: Escherichia coli,
Streptococcus pneumoniae, etc.
 Psychrotrophs-
1. Coldtolerant bacteria.
2. Have optimal and maximal growth
temperatures above 15 and 20C,
respectively.
3. Psychrotrophic bacteria and fungi are
the principal cause of spoilage of
refrigerated food.
4. Examples: Pseudomonas,Aeromonas,
Bacillus,Clostridium, etc.
 Thermophiles-
1. Derived from Greek word thermotita
meaning heat and philia meaning love.
2. Heat-loving microorganisms.
3. Grow at 50C or higher. Their growth
minimum is usually around 45C and
often optima between 50 and 80C.
4. Examples: Thermus aquaticus,
Geogemma barossii, etc.
 Hyperthermophiles-
1. Thrives in extremely hot environments.
2. Temperature range: 80C to 113C.
3. First discovered by Thomas D. Brockin 1965 ,
in hot springs inYellowstone National
Park,Wyoming.
4. Thecell membranecontains high levels
ofsaturated fatty acidsto retain its shape at
high temperatures
5. Examples: Sulfolobus, Methanococcus
jannaschii, Thermotoga, etc.
 pH
pH refers to negative logarithm of hydrogen
ion concentration.
Microbial growth is strongly affected by the
pH of the medium.
Drastic variations in cytoplasmic pH
disrupt the plasma membrane or inhibit the
activity of enzymes and membrane
transport proteins.
Classification of bacteria according
to pH
 Acidophiles- Grow between pH 0 and 5.5.
Examples: Ferroplasma, Thiobacillus
thioxidans, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, etc.

Alkalophiles- Grow between pH range of 7.5 to

14.
Examples: Thermococcus alcaliphilus, etc.

Neutrophiles- Grow between pH 5.5 to 8.0

Examples: Lactobacillus acidophillus, E. coli,
Pseudomonas aerunginosa, etc.

Bacteria prefer media of pH near neutrality,

and usually cannot tolerate pH values much
 Osmotic pressure (solutes and water
activity)
Osmotic pressureis the
minimumpressurewhich needs to be applied
to a solution to prevent the inward flow of
water across a SPM.
Types of solution:
1. Hypotonic 2. Isotonic 3. Hypertonic
Water activity of a solution is 1/100 the
relative humidity of the solution. It is
equivalent to the ratio of the vapour pressure
of solution to that ofVapour pressure of
pure water.
solution
Vapour pressure of
pure water
Water activity=
Classification of bacteria
according to osmotic pressure
1. Osmotolerant are those microorganisms
which can grow at relatively high salt
concentration.
Examples: Aeromonas spp.,
Staphylococcus spp, etc.

2. Halophiles- Grow in the presence of salt

at conc. Above 0.2 to 0.6.
Examples: Halobacterium halobium
 Hydrostatic Pressure
Force acting per unit area.
Classification of bacteria on the
basis of hydrostatic pressure
Barotolerant Does not get affected
by increased pressure.
Barophiles/ Piezophiles- Bacteria
which grow at moderately high
hydrostatic pressures.
Examples: Halomonas salaria,
xenophyophores, etc.
 Radiation
Sunlight- The major source.
Infrared is the major source of Earths
heat.
Ionising rays can produce mutations
which may result in death.
Visible light is beneficial because it is
the source of energy for
photosynthesis.
 References
Microbiology, P.D. Sharma
www.slideshare.net
General Microbiology, C.P Powar
Thank you!