Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals Part 1 - Bailey J., Ollis D. 1989

Stoichiometry and Energetics of Metabolic Transformations
End Products of Metabolism
Synthesis of Secondary Metabolites

Under appropriate conditions, microorganisms and other Cells synthesize secondary metabolites. Typically, these substances are not produced in significant amounts during rapid Cell growth. A multitude of secondary metabolites with diverse structures and various biological activities are known. Currently, for example, about 6,000 different Antibiotics have been identified. Both Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces griseus produce more than 50 antibiotics!

Fig. 5.27 illustrates various secondary metabolites and the most General Pathways of their Biosynthesis. It is readily apparent that the starting Materials here are primary metabolites. In addition, primary metabolites and the cellular energy charge serve as crucial regulators of secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways. We will return to this topic when discussing Catabolite repression in chapters 6 and 7. Another important parameter regulating The biosynthesis of secondary metabolites is the average phosphate concentration.

Class="center">Table 5.9. Partially oxidized metabolic products of acetic acid Bacteria with Structure/179.html">Practical Applicationsa

a Stanier, R. Y., Doudoroff, M., Adelberg, E. A., The Microbial World, 3rd ed., p. 211, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1970.



Last update: 06/08/2026

Editorial and Educational Adaptation: This material has been compiled based on the primary/original source text. The project team performed an editorial review, corrected technical inaccuracies, structured sections, and adapted the content for an educational format.

What was processed:

  • elimination of formatting defects (OCR errors, structural breaks, corrupted characters);
  • editorial organization of content;
  • standardization of terminology in accordance with academic sources;
  • verification of factual statements against the original source text.

All mentions of the author, publication year, and origin of the primary text have been preserved in accordance with the source.