Natural sources microorganisms

Development of an economically viable production process for fohc acid either by genetically engineered microorganisms or by extraction from natural sources is not yet feasible. 

Fig. 25.1 The three pathways for the preparation of natural flavours. The first two involve the extraction of the flavour or precursors from natural sources. The precursors can then be converted to the natural flavour by enzymes extracted from plants or microorganisms. The last method is the de novo synthesis of the flavour by microorganisms growing on simple substrates such as glucose and sucrose...

The discovery of a new drug is part luck and part structured investigation (see section 3.1). It originally started with drugs and lead compounds derived from natural sources, such as animals, plants, trees and microorganisms. Marine sources were not utilized to any extent until the mid-20th century. Today, natural sources are still important, but the majority of lead compounds are synthesized in the laboratory. The nature of these synthetic compounds is initially decided from a consideration of the biochemistry of the pathogenic condition. 

For control of some pest problems, materials from natural sources have proved extremely successful. In particular, many plant, human, and animal diseases are controlled by antibiotics produced by microorganisms. Insecticides from plant sources have been used effectively for many years, but the scale on which they have been used does not compare with that of the synthetic organic insecticides Introduced in the years following World War II. 

Lovelock, Maggs, and Rasmussen (161) have observed the emission of Me2S by microorganisms in the soil and water and suggested that they may provide a large natural source of atmospheric sulfur, particularly in the ocean. 

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