Ed and Rhizopus stolonifer, an agony tale

Mycology #2

Rhizopus stolonifer (Bread mold)

under general environment

Rhizopus stolonifer has grown on a piece
of bread - the black spots indicate the
formation of sporangium (spore sac)

The fungus was grown under general environment, a piece of bread was cut, put in a small box containing some water, which accelerated the growth of Rhizopus stolonifer or in other words the black mold which usually attacks bread. 

It is considered to be a mesophilic fungus since it rapidly grows between temperatures of 15*C - 30*C.

It's classification, Division: Amastigomycota 

                               Sub-division: Zygomycotina

                                 Class: Zygomycetes

And this class by which this fungus belongs to are characterized by

1. Terrestrial.
2. Doesn't form any type of swarm spores ( they are spores that have mobility function (motile) which has a flagellum used for locomotion)
3. Spores are dispersed either by air or by soil.
4. Each fungus consists of mycelium ( somatic structure of the body) which form filamentous hyphae  have large proportion of chitin)  - Mycelium is a network of hyphae
5. The cell wall is formed of chitin
6. Saprophytic ( little parasitism on plants and animals )
7. Reproduce asexually by sporangiospores which are non-motile formed within sporangium (sac) reproduce by conidia ( single or chain cells present on the top of conidiophores)
8. Reproduce sexually by Zygospore due to 2 sex organs similar in shape, size, and aren't differentiated from each other but physiologically different.

The following pictures discuss the structure of the fungus under microscope ( made by me) 

Sporangiophore and sporangium

Structure of Rhizopus stolonifer under microscope

Life cycle of Rhizopus stolonifer

Source: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/olbrantz_chri/reproduction.htm

Source: Microbiology course no. 07201

Latest topics

* https://allaboutbiologyworld.blogspot.com/2017/07/detection-of-catalase-in-potatoes.html

* https://allaboutbiologyworld.blogspot.com/2017/07/cob-clot-on-boiling-test.html

* https://allaboutbiologyworld.blogspot.com/2017/06/cell-division-mitosis-meiosis-comparison.html

I hope you find this informative and if you do please follow my blog if you still hadn't and share it with your science buds.

Penicillium digitatum topic - https://allaboutbiologyworld.blogspot.com/2017/04/todd-has-been-sick-short-tale.html

Thanks!

Detection of Catalase in potatoes

Detection of Catalase

Catalase  + H2O2  ----------------> water + oxygen

Catalase enzyme is usually found in every oxygen-dependent organism's cells, which catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen, transforming the lethal hydrogen peroxide which is produced normally from the metabolism carried out by our cells into non-lethal compounds ( water & oxygen)

Catalase not only decompose hydrogen peroxide, But compounds like hydrogen peroxides belongs to a category called ''Reactive oxygen species'' or ROS, they are oxidizing species of high energy, containing oxygen, unstable, easily react with other chemical compounds like our DNA damaging it, They are often radicals meaning they contain unpaired electrons such as H2O2, OH ( hydroxyl radical ), and superoxides.

They are produced by cleavage of water with ionizing radiation (ultraviolet and higher energies). They are also normally produced in cellular metabolism and immediately destroyed by other enzymes, but many pollutants, such as tobacco smoke, cause increase in their production - when more is produced than can be removed, they have time to cause DNA damage.

The bubbles produced are the oxygen molecules due to
decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

Tools

• Hydrogen peroxide bottle
• Test tube
• Dropper
• Small pieces of cut potato so they can fit inside the test tube

Procedures

1. Cut very small pieces the size of the test tube's diameter you are going to perform the test in so they can fit inside.
2. Use your dropper to take a few milliliters of hydrogen peroxide like 3 to 5 ml. 
3. Put the small pieces of potato inside the test tube then pour the content of the dropper inside and watch the reaction performed.

Potatoes are living plant tissue even when harvested so they do respire oxygen normally after being harvested so they have Catalase which when hydrogen peroxide is poured onto it, it will start to bind to the hydrogen peroxide forming a complex that will decompose the hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen making it non-lethal.

I hope you gentlemen and ladies find this informative and if you do please do share it with your science buds and follow my blog for new topics.

I will upload a complete video explaining all the steps in case you find something difficult or how you going to perform this test at home - so the video COMING SOON...

Recent topic - https://allaboutbiologyworld.blogspot.com/2017/06/cell-division-mitosis-meiosis-comparison.html
https://allaboutbiologyworld.blogspot.com/2017/07/cob-clot-on-boiling-test.html

#Biology #Catalase

#WeliveWelearn

C.O.B - Clot On Boiling Test

Dairy Science

Clot . On . Boiling Test

Determination of Milk Acidity

Introduction

The normal pH of a natural milk produced ranges from 6.6 to 6.8 and of an acidity 0.13 to 0.18, this acidity is called the Natural Acidity due to some constituents which make up this acidity in milk such as Casein ( composed of α-casein, β-casein, and γ-casein), Whey protein ( composed of Lactoglobulin and Lactoalbumin), Salts ( e.g., Phosphates, Citrates, Nitrogen, Potassium, Zinc, Boron, etc...) and CO2

Leaving milk under normal temperature such as room temperature, this allows for the growth of bacteria present in the milk especially the Lactic acid bacterial strains which converts the Lactose ( milk sugar) to Lactic acid by fermentation decreasing the pH and increasing the milk acidity, and this acidity is called Developed Acidity; Because it came/rose or developed from an organism which is in our case the Lactic acid bacteria.

There are qualitative and quantitative methods of acidity determination for milk bulks in factories/plants and usually we measure the acidity by measuring lactic acid percentage, and in this case we call it '' Total Titratable Acidity ''.

Why do we need to determine acidity in milk?

Because it is important for the manufacture of some dairy products, quality of milk, and the milk stability during some technological treatments.

Clot . On . Boiling Test

It is a qualitative method of acidity determination in milk, we conclude from the test name is that we are counting on the formation or the appearance of Clots in the milk sample, so the milk will be clotted if acidity is 0.25% and more

Tools needed ( Home )

• Pipette
• Beaker ( will be used as a hot water bath)
• Test tube
• Milk sample
• Flame source

Procedures

1. Put 5 ml. of milk in clean test tube.
2. Put the test tube in boiling water bath until boiling of the sample.
3. Notice the presence of clots, if present it will be positive result, If not, then it will be a negative result.

+ve result - By me 

The formation of clots indicates the high acidity of the milk, and perhaps you could ask how I received an acidic milk sample:

 Basically, I took like an amount of 200 ml., and a tablespoon of yoghurt ( containing a Lactic acid bacteria Bifidobacterium sp., and Lactobacillus sp.), and left them for about a day in room temperature until a curd was formed. Yet the whole sample wasn't curd, Once a curd was formed I managed to take 5 ml. and perform the test.

I hope you gentlemen and ladies find this informative and if you do please do share it with your science buds and follow my blog for new topics.

I will upload a complete video explaining all the steps in case you find something difficult or how you going to perform this test at home - so the video COMING SOON...

Next one in our dairy science episodes laboratory work experiments will be the quantitative method of milk acidity determination..., the scientific method. STAY TUNED

Recent topic - https://allaboutbiologyworld.blogspot.com/2017/06/cell-division-mitosis-meiosis-comparison.html

#Biology #DairyScience

#WeliveWelearn