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Bacterial dry matter content and biomass estimations
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|October 1, 1984
Summary
Bacterial dry-matter content is higher than previously assumed, ranging from 31-57%. Accurate measurements require correcting for intercellular water, impacting biomass calculations.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biomass Estimation
Background:
- The accepted standard for bacterial dry-matter content is approximately 20%.
- Previous estimates may be inaccurate due to insufficient correction for intercellular water.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reassess the dry-matter content of bacterial cells.
- To propose a more accurate conversion factor for bacterial biovolume to biomass.
Main Methods:
- Determined dry-matter content using three different bacterial strains.
- Employed methods to correct for intercellular water in wet weight estimations.
Main Results:
- Bacterial dry-matter content ranged from 31% to 57%, significantly higher than the 20% standard.
- The dry-matter content varied considerably among strains, indicating it is not a fixed value.
Conclusions:
- The standard 20% dry-matter content for bacteria is likely too low.
- A conversion factor of 0.22 g of C cm-3 is suggested for converting bacterial biovolume to biomass (carbon content).