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"Humans in the developed world spend more than 90 percent of their lives indoors, where they breathe in and come into contact with trillions of life forms invisible to the naked eye: microorganisms."
~ Jessica Green
Microorganisms are too small to see with a naked eye but they play a big role in the environment. They are responsible for the chemical reactions needed to fuel many biological processes.
Inside your body right now, you have trillions of microorganisms working hard in and on your body. They carry out crucial chemical reactions and protect you from bad microbes.
Only 5% of microorganisms are pathogenic so they are not here to hurt us, but instead, help us!
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In this video, we will do a brief introduction of different classes of microorganisms and their roles in our soil's ecosystem.
We will talk about the difference between aerobic and anaerobic organisms.
We will specifically discuss the roles of bacteria and yeast in our soil's ecosystem.
Below are the vocabulary terms for this video.
Vocabulary
Microorganisms
Organisms too small to see with the naked eye.
Bacteria
Single cellular organism. Does not have organelles or nucleus . Responsible for many chemical reactions in the soil.
Fungi
Multi-cellular organisms. Requires oxygen to live. Responsible for many chemical reactions in our soils including fermentation and breaking down of many organic molecules. Also known as decomposers.
Aerobic
An organism needs oxygen in order to carry about their normal metabolic function.
Anaerobic
Organisms that do not need oxygen to carry about their normal metabolic functions.
Microorganism Activity
The art of bread making is a great example of the constructive use of microorganisms.
Basic Sandwich Bread Recipe
Ingredients- Yield 1 loaf of Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Whole Milk
¾ cup Water
2 tsp (1 packet) instant dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs granulated sugar
3 Tbs soften butter
Instructions
1) Combine Lukewarm water, milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes
2) Wisk together 3 cups All-Purpose Flour and salt in a large bowl.
3) Combine The flour mixture with the yeast mixture. Stir well and turn out onto a floured work surface.
4) Knead the dough for 4-6 minutes or until the dough begin to spring back.
5) Place the dough in a greased bowl for 30-45 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size.
6) Place the risen dough on a lightly floured surface and press into a long oval.
7) Roll the long over into a log shape and place in a greased loaf pan, let rise for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
8) Preheat your over to 375.
9) Bake the risen bread for 30-45 minutes or until it reaches an internal tempter of 200 degrees
10) Let cool and serve
How does it work?
Yeast ferment ( Break down), the sugars present in the dough. This process releases gas which is held by the gluten formed from water, flour, and kneading. This helps ensure even baking and an even crumb for your bread.
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