Friend or Foe

Microbes are referred to as ubiquitous organisms.  This put more simply means that they are everywhere; in the air, in the ground and water, even on our skin.  Being that they are everywhere they play many roles, sometimes good and sometimes bad.  One bacteria that has been both a great friend and a terrible foe to me is Propionibacterium.  This particular bacteria has application in the food industry making, one of my favorites, Swiss cheese.  The acid produced by the bacteria is responsible for the pungent odor and flavor of the cheese and the co2 it produces creates the holes in the cheese. Now Propionibacterium in my cheese on my sandwich is great, I however do not appreciate it on my face.  This is when Propionibacterium becomes a nasty foe. A specific strain of the bacteria called P. acnes is actually responsible for causing acne. It is found in sebaceous glands of the skin and can secrete chemical and other biological substances when the pore is blocked causing the skin to swell and sometimes cause whiteheads.   So the same thing creating holes in your cheese is making them on your face.  This is just another example of the love/hate relationship we has humans have with bacteria. 

Microbiology at its best

As a microbiologist I've come to learn that microbes can be good or bad.  Some of the good microbes, maybe the best in my opinion, are the ones involved in the food industry. One of my favorite applications of microbes in the food industry is fermentation, specifically beer fermentation.  Microbes such as yeast are used to convert the raw ingredients in beer into co2 and alcohol. Yeast however, aren't solely responsible for the flavor.  Dogfish Head, a brewery known for their craft beers, has recently come out with  Chateau Jiahu that includes such ingredients as rice, grapes, berries and honey. The recipe was concocted when an anthropologist uncovered and analyzed brew pots used almost 10,000 years ago in china.  This beer is one of many included in Dogfish Head's Ancient Ales that try to bring back the past's best brews. The ability to recreate these pieces of history wouldn't be possible without yeast, the workhorse of beer brewing. These microorganisms have been responsible for creating flavorful foods and drinks throughout history and continue to be used today