BASIC GROWTH MEDIA AND

NUTRITIONAL
REQUIREMENTS OF MICRO ORGANISMS

PATEL HARDI TARUN

16MMB017
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
NIRMA UNIVERSITY

Which nutrients are required by

Microorganisms?
Microorganisms mainly require
macronutrients which are required in
relatively large amounts and
micronutrients which are required in
trace amounts.
Macronutrients include C, H, O, N, S, P,
K, Ca, Mg and Fe.
Micronutrients consists of Mn, Zn, Co,
Mo, Ni and Cu.

Requirement
Element
C, H, O, N, P,
S

Constituents of organic molecules like

proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and
carbohydrates.

Potassium
(K)
Calcium
(Ca)
Magnesium
(Mg)
Iron (Fe)

Activity of enzymes involved in protein

synthesis.

Zinc (Zn)

Heat resistance of bacterial endospores.

Cofactor of many enzymes, complexes with

ATP, stabilizes ribosomes and cell
membranes.
Part of molecules involved in the synthesis of
ATP by electron transport related processes.
Present at active site of some enzymes.

Sources of Macro and Micro nutrients

Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen are available from
the component serving as carbon source which is
usually a hydrocarbon. E.g.:- Glucose, Lactose etc.
Nitrogen is available to microorganisms from their
amino acids, incorporation of ammonia through
enzymes like glutamate dehydrogenase or
synthase, or some nitrogen fixing bacteria can
reduce atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia.
Phosphorous and sulfur is usually utilized by
microbes in its inorganic form directly but some
microbes can use both organic and inorganic forms.
Micronutrients as required in trace amounts are
adequately supplied in water used to prepare
media or in regular media components.

Why Culture Media is

required in microbiology?
Used to grow, transport and
store microbes.
For isolation and
identification of microbes.
For testing of antibiotic
sensitivities.
Used to analyze water and

Types of Culture Media

Basis for
Classification
Chemical
composition

Physical
nature

Function

Defined
(Synthetic)

Solid

Supportive
(General
Purpose)

Complex

Liquid

Enriched

Semisolid

Selective

Differential

Defined Media
Chemical
composition of all
ingredients is well
defined.
Eg :- BG-11 Media
for Cyanobacteria.
Used in research,
not for commercial
purposes.

Complex Media
Contain ingredients of unknown chemical
composition like peptones, meat extract,
yeast extract each of them serving as a
source of various nutritional requirements.
Sufficiently rich to meet all the nutritional
requirements of many different
microorganisms.
Eg :- Nutrient broth, Tryptic Soy Broth,
MacConkey agar.

Solid Media
This type of media is
solid due to use of
solidifying agent like
agar or gelatin which is
around 15-20%.
Used to isolate
different microbes
from each other to
establish pure cultures.
E.g. :- Nutrient agar
plate.

Liquid Media
Liquid media do not contain
solidifying agents like agar and
gelatin.
Used to study oxygen
requirement of inoculated
microorganism.
Tests like MPN (Most Probable
Number) test can be performed
using only liquid media.
Used to cultivate microbes
which cannot be cultivated on
solid media.
Industries generally prefer liquid
media as larger biomass can be
grown throughout the media.
E.g. :- Nutrient broth.

Semisolid Media
Semisolid media
contains 0.4-0.5%
agar hence it is
also called soft
agar.
Used to check
motility of
inoculated
microbes.
Eg :- Motility agar
stab.

Enriched Media

Addition of special ingredients enrich the

growth of fastidious microbes.
E.g. :- Blood agar, Chocolate agar.

Selective Media

Used to select the growth of a particular type of

microorganism.
Specific dyes and chemicals are used which
favors the growth of a particular microorganism
and inhibits the growth of other.
Eg :- Bile salts inhibits the growth of gram
positive bacteria and favors the growth of gram
negative bacteria in MacConkey Agar media
and Eosin methylene blue agar media.
Eg :- Antibiotic Streptomycin and acidic pH
acts as a selective agent in Martin Rose Bengal
Agar (MRBA) plate that inhibits the growth of
bacteria and facilitates the growth of fungi.

Differential Media
Used to differentiate growth of two types of
microorganisms on a single media.
MacConkey agar which is also a differential
medium contains lactose and neutral red dye,
bacteria that catabolize lactose by fermenting it
release acidic waste products that decrease the
pH which is indicated by neutral red dye that
make colonies pink to red in color.
EMB plate also differentiate between typical and
atypical coliforms.
Blood agar differentiates between hemolytic and
non hemolytic bacteria as hemolytic bacteria
produce clear zones around their colonies due to
RBC destruction.

1. Eosin Methylene Blue agar plate

2. MacConkeys agar plate
3. Martin Rose Bengal agar plate

References
Prescotts Microbiology 8th edition by
Willey, Sherwood and Woolverton.
http://highered.mheducation.com/
https://www.researchgate.net/
http://www.fao.org/
Google images.