Industrial microbiology research involves the production and application of microbial bioactive compounds

Industrial microbiology is a branch of biotechnology that uses microbial sciences to create industrial products. It often involves manipulating microorganisms to develop specific industrial processes. Often, this process uses microbial cell factories.

The food industry utilizes microorganisms to produce nutritious foods and prevent food from spoilage. This global industry comprises a wide variety of businesses and provides most of the world's food energy. Other areas include the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The field of industrial microbiology has a growing impact on our daily lives. There are hundreds of different uses for microorganisms in industry. Most chemicals are made from chemical products produced by microbes, including plastics and paints. Many of our antibiotics also come from microbes.

The microbes are grown in bioreactors and are used to produce the desired product. They are also used to develop vaccines and antibiotics. They can also be used to isolate chemicals for organic synthesis. There are two basic types of microbial metabolites: primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites are produced by microbes during their energy metabolism. The secondary metabolites come from a modification of the primary metabolite synthesis. Secondary metabolites include antibiotics, alkaloids, toxins, and gibberellins.

Several industrial microbiologists rely on biomass measurements to determine the right harvest time. Optical density measurements (OD) and absorbance measurements are commonly used in this field. Optical density measurements have traditionally been taken using spectrophotometry. The typical method involves dilution to less than 0.5 OD at 600 nm. In addition to studying microbial processes, Industrial Microbiology also studies bioprocesses. Several types of microbes are studied for their potential to make products. Some of them require high oxygenation rates. Some of them are even happier under conditions where mammalian cells would die. Moreover, some of these studies require "oddball" liquids or gas feeds or corrosive acids and bases. This requires sophisticated equipment, such as stainless steel mini-bioreactors.