| Course Title : | Agriculture and Food Microbiology |
| Course No : | MB 401(Major) |
| Nature of the Course : | Theory |
| Full Marks : | 100 |
| Pass Marks : | 35 |
| Year : | Fourth(4th ) |
| Total Lecture Hours : | 150 |
Course Objectives
After completion of the course Agriculture and Food Microbiology , the students will be able to:
- understand microbial ecology and their role in environment
- understand the role of micro-organisms in soil fertility, mineral cycles of nature, and plant disease
management - understand various microbes found in different kinds of food, food borne infections and food
preservation methods.
Course Content of Agriculture and Food Microbiology in B.Sc. Microbiology
The content outline of Agriculture and Food Microbiology ,
| S.N | Topic / Chapter Name | Credit Hours |
| 1 | Soil and its Constituents Introduction and formation of soil, physical, chemical and biological factors, mineral and organic matters, soil solution, gases | 3 hrs |
| 2 | Microorganisms in Soil and their Roles Bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, protozoa, blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) | 3 hrs |
| 3 | Microbial Ecology Microbial association in soil, water and air, components of microbial ecology, ecosystem and energy, tools and techniques of experimental microbial ecology | 5 hrs |
| 4 | Rhizospheric and Phyllospheric Microorganisms Introduction, functions, factors influencing their growth and activities | 3 hrs |
| 5 | Microbial Interactions Microbial interactions in ecosystem, types of interactions- synergism, commensalism, mutualism, competition, amensalism, predation, and parasitism | 6 hrs |
| 6 | Microbiology of Extreme Environments Growth and survival of microorganisms in extreme temperature, pH, humidity, salinity, and applications of extremophiles | 6 hrs |
| 7 | Biogeochemical Cycles and Role of Microorganisms Introduction, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, phosphorous cycle, sulphur cycle | 12 hrs |
| 8 | Microbial Degradation Difference between degradation and deterioration, mechanisms of microbial degradation of cellulose, hemi-cellulose, lignin, chitin, pectin, recycling of organic waste | 10 hrs |
| 9 | Bioremediation Principles of bioremediation, in situ and ex situ bioremediation of soil, water and air pollution, steps and approaches in bioremediation, removal of xenobiotics, bioleaching, petroleum degradation | 5 hrs |
| 10 | Aerobic and Anaerobic Decomposition of Organic Compounds and Application Anaerobic decomposition of typical organic compounds, mechanism of aerobic and anaerobic composting, mechanism of methane gas production from agricultural waste including animal waste, biochemistry of methane formation and application | 12 hrs |
| 11 | Plant Pathogens Agents of plant diseases: a) Bacterial diseases- Citrus canker causing microorganism, Rickettsia, Mycoplasma, (MLD), Spiroplasma b) Fungal diseases c) Diseases caused by Nematodes, d) Mesobioticviral disease | 10 hrs |
| 12 | Microorganisms in various Foods Bacteria, molds, yeasts, primary sources of microorganisms in food contamination | 10 hrs |
| 13 | Factors Affecting Microbial Growth in Food Intrinsic parameters, extrinsic parameters | 5 hrs |
| 14 | Techniques for Determination of Microorganisms in Food Techniques of detection and enumeration of microorganisms in food, sampling methods (various food industries, dairy, meat market) | 10 hrs |
| 15 | Food Handling and Spoilage Different types of food handling in industries and market, spoilage of fruits and vegetables, fresh and processed meat and poultry product, egg and egg products, milk and milk products, canned foods, flour cereals and bakery products, fermented foods and beverages, soft drinks, seafoods | 15 hrs |
| 16 | Food Preservations Chemical, irradiation, low temperature, high temperature, drying | 10 hrs |
| 17 | Food Quality Evaluation Quality standard of milk, quality standard of bakeries, quality standard of meat and eggs, quality control of food, Nepal standard, national food regulatory system | 15 hrs |
| 18 | Role of Microorganisms in Food Poisoning Gram positive cocci (Staphylococcus spp.), gram positive spore formers (Bacillus cereus, Clostridium spp.), gram negative bacteria (Salmonella spp.), mycotoxin (aflatoxin), seafood toxicants | 10 hrs |
| Total Lecture Hours | 150 hrs |
Recommended Readings
For Agriculture and Food Microbiology we have,
Text books
- Alexander M (1961). Introduction to Soil Microbiology, Academic Press.
- Atlas RM and Bartha R (1998). Microbial Ecology: Fundamentals and Applications. The Benjamin
Cummins Publication Co. Inc. - Banwart GJ (1989) Basic Food Microbiology. CBS Publication and Distributions, Delhi.
- Jay JM (1987). Modern Food Microbiology (3rd Edition). CBS Publications and Distributions, Delhi.
Reference Books for Agriculture and Food Microbiology
- Frazier WC and Westhoff DC (1986). Food Microbiology (3rd Edition). Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing
Company Limited, New Delhi. - Rangaswami G and Bagyaraja PT (1993). Agricultural Microbiology (2nd Edition). Prentice Hall of
India. - Stolp H (1988). Microbial Ecology: Organisms, Habitats, Activities. Cambridge.
Agriculture and Food Microbiology Practical
| Agriculture and Food Microbiology Practical |
| Course Title : | Agriculture and Food Microbiology Practical |
| Course No : | MB 402(Major) |
| Nature of the Course : | Practical |
| Full Marks : | 50 |
| Pass Marks : | 20 |
| Year : | Fourth( 4th) |
| Total lecture Hour : | 180 |
Course Objectives
After completion of the course, the students will be able to:
- develop practical skills on handling, isolation and identification of soil, water, and food
microorganisms.
Course Contents
In the Agriculture and Food Microbiology practical we have
| S.N | Contents Name |
| 1 | Microorganisms Present in Soil Total viable number of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes in different kinds of soil |
| 2 | Buried Slide Technique for Microbial Flora of Soil Different types of microorganisms in soil, identification of microbes by using various techniques |
| 3 | Azotobacter Introduction, morphological structure, culture of Azotobacter |
| 4 | Cellulase Produced by Organisms Demonstration of cellulolysis , use of cellulase |
| 5 | Microorganisms from Biofertilizers Isolation and identification of organisms responsible for formation of biofertilizers |
| 6 | Observation of Various Organisms Present in Soil Demonstration of Winogradsky’s column, uses of column in differentiation of microbial ecology |
| 7 | Differentiation of Various Organisms From Soil Samples To show the distribution of organisms, their methods of isolation and antibiotic activity |
| 8 | Cyanobacteria Isolation, growth characteristics and identification |
| 9 | Phosphorus Solubilisers Methods of culture, identification of solubilisers |
| 10 | Count of Micro-organisms in Different Foods Methods of isolation and counting techniques of bacteria from various foods |
| 11 | Dairy Products; Milk, Cheese and Ice-cream Enumeration, culture of organisms, isolation, detection and demonstration of microorganisms |
| 12 | Tests for Milk Quality Methylene Blue Reduction Time (MBRT) test, Resazurin test, phosphatase test, adulteration tests in milk (starch, soda, sodium hydrooxide, table sugar), alcohol test, acidity test, SNF and fat tests |
| 13 | Presence of Microorganisms in Meat and Meat Products Isolation and identification of types of contaminating microorganisms in meat and meat products |
| 14 | Microorganisms Present in Fruits Culture of microorganisms from fruits (bacteria, yeast and molds), methods of isolation and identification |