Monday, February 11, 2008

BOTTLED MICROBIAL CULTURES- DOES IT REALLY WORKED?


If you go through the internet, you will be seeing a lot of advertisements trying to sell their cultures which are supposed to the ultimate solution to solving almost anything from pollution to bioremediation and even to composting among others. The vendors claimed to have discovered or concocted mixtures of species of microorganisms that seems to do the trick.

The question is does it really do the work as promised by defying the laws of microbiology itself.

Let us look at a simple example whereby a mixture of microorganisms are effective in reducing pollution of a heavily polluted water body

Questions that should be asked are;

1 Have these microbial cultures been successfully adapted to using the wastes in the polluted wastewaters
2 How are these cultures adapted to degrading the wastewaters?
3 Are there proven laboratory or feasibility studies supporting this claim?
4 Are the findings reported in well known peer reviewed journals

Throughout my experience in microbial degradation, it has always been the principles of microbiology that it is the substrate that chooses the microorganisms and not vice versa.
Adaptation involves various stages of not only adapting to toxic conditions but also developing the necessary enzymes to utilize the complex substrate. Microbes are not stupid! Given the choice they will use the easily assimilated carbon in the wastewaters before going after the difficult carbon.

Wastewaters especially the polluted and complicated wastewaters are not only toxic but contain a variety of carbon which are difficult to degrade. I cannot see how by just pouring hundreds of buckets of these 'special microorganisms' into the moving wastewaters such as rivers and streams will solve the pollution problem. Up to now I have only heard claims upon claims of these magical cultures doing wonders...Where are the proof in properly carried out experiments published in eminent scientific journals. I don't think it is wise or safe to take the opinion from salesmen selling the cultures, laymen or farmers

Often when they carry out the 'experiments' they monitor it months and years after the event

One thing I do agree the media which they used for building up the cultures are mainly mplass based which are rich in sugars and vitamins which support the growth of many microorganisms and are good fertilizers. So is the so called success in the use of these microorganisms more because of the 'magical bacteria' or because of the rich nutrients in the molasses? These molasses solution are often viscous and acidic which resulted in lowering the ph of the water and precipitating the colloids and chemicals. But will it be lasting in the long run and on a bigger scale? We need more research and experiments properly carried out before validating these products. If not a lot of people will get tricked and lose a lot of their money over the magical property of these microbes

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