Biology

Microorganisms in Food Production

1,086 Questions

Microorganisms play a vital role in food production through processes like fermentation and bioprocessing. Questions on this topic cover the use of yeast, bacteria, and industrial microbiology. These concepts are important for science sections in various competitive exams.

Alcoholic fermentationDairy beverage productionIndustrial ethanol preparationCitric acid productionBiodigester temperature

Microorganisms in Food Production Questions

Multiple choice

For retting of jute, the fermenting microbe used is

  1. Methophilic bacteria

  2. Helicobactor pylori

  3. Butyric acid bacteria

  4. Streptococcus lacin
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 Butyric acid producing anerobic bacteria is used for retting of jute. Retting is a process employing the action of microorganisms and moisture on plants to dissolve or rot away much of the cellular tissues and pectins surrounding bast-fibre bundles, and so facilitating separation of the fibre from the stem.

Multiple choice

The process involved in the conversion of milk into curd is called

  1. oxidation

  2. dehydration

  3. hydrogenation

  4. fermentation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Fermentation is the biological process where microorganisms like Lactobacillus bacteria convert milk into curd. These bacteria produce lactic acid, which causes milk proteins (casein) to coagulate and form the thick, solid texture of curd. Oxidation involves electron loss, dehydration removes water, and hydrogenation adds hydrogen - none of these describe curd formation.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is/are the microorganism(s) used in the making of chocolate?

A. kloeckera africana B. kocuria rhizophila C. gluconacetobacter oboediens D. kluyveromyces marxianus

  1. Only A

  2. Only B

  3. A and B

  4. A and C

  5. A and D
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option. The fungi, Kloeckera africana and Kluyveromyces marxianus, both are used in the making of chocolate. The bacteria kocuria rhizophila is used in the making of cheese and the bacteria gluconacetobacter oboediens is used in the making of vinegar.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements are false regarding penicillin production?

  1. Penicillin is produced by anaerobic fermentation.
  2. Inoculum preparation for the fermentation medium for penicillin takes place on barley seeds.
  3. Vegetable oil added in the fermentation medium for penicillin, acts as a source of nutrients.
  4. Penicillin is recovered after fermentation as potassium penicillin.

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 1 and 3

  3. 2 and 3

  4. 2 and 4

  5. 2, 3 and 4

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Penicillin is produced by aerobic fermentation. Vegetable oil, (corn oil or soybean oil) added in the fermentation medium for penicillin, acts as antifoam agent.

Multiple choice

Which of the following organism is an example of yeast?

  1. Mucor

  2. Penicillium notatum

  3. Aspergillus niger

  4. Saccharomyces crevisae
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (spelled with 'cerevisiae' not 'crevisae') is a yeast fungus used in baking and brewing. Mucor, Penicillium, and Aspergillus are all molds (filamentous fungi), not yeasts which are unicellular.

Multiple choice

What is the shape of Lactobacillus?

  1. Rod shape

  2. Spherical shape

  3. Comma shape

  4. Spiral shape

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Lactobacillus is a rod-shaped bacterium, as indicated by the suffix 'bacillus' which means rod. Spherical bacteria are called cocci (like Streptococcus), spiral shapes are spirochetes or spirilla, and Vibrio has a comma shape.

Multiple choice

Which of the following organism causes fermentation in the sugar?

  1. Yeast

  2. Euglena

  3. Amoeba

  4. Paramecium
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) are fungi that ferment sugars to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide - the process used in baking, brewing, and winemaking. Amoeba and Paramecium are protists that do not perform fermentation, and Euglena is a photosynthetic/flagellated protist.

Multiple choice

Ethanol is one of the fermentation end products of

  1. Enterobacter
  2. Escherichia
  3. Clostridium
  4. Saccharomyces
  5. Salmonella
  6. Streptococcus

  1. 1, 2 and 3 only

  2. 1, 2, 4 and 5 only

  3. 2, 3 and 4 only

  4. 2, 4, 5 and 6 only

  5. all of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Enterobacter yields ethanol, lactic acid, formic acid, butanediol, acetoin, CO2, and H2 as fermentation end product. Escherichia yields ethanol, lactic acid, succinic acid, acetic acid, CO2, and H2 as fermentation end product. Saccharomyces yields ethanol and CO2 as fermentation end products. Salmonella yields ethanol, lactic acid, succinic acid, acetic acid, CO2, and H2 as fermentation end product.