Student Name: Access Code (located on the lid of your lab kit): Click here to enter text. “Experiment 1- Bio-Prospecting for Starch Degrading Bacteria” “Table 3: Gram Iodine Analysis” “Sample” “Growth on Starch Agar (yes or no)” “Clear Area Around Bacteria?” “Is Sample Capable of Degrading Starch?” “A” Yes. Yes Yes “B” Yes Yes Yes “C” Yes Yes Yes “D” No Yes No “Post-Lab Questions” “1. Why was cow manure used as a potential source of starch degrading bacteria?” Because it contains amylase which is an enzyme that breaks down starch into smaller molecules. Cow manure is used because of the high starch content and amylase which is responsible for degrading starch. “2. What are some other potential sources for starch degrading bacteria?” Starch degrading bacteria are mainly important for industries that have fermentation, textile, paper and also food. “3. What component makes the starch agar selective for amylase degrading bacteria?” Starch agar is a medium that tests the ability for an organism to produce a certain exoenzymes, which includes amylase and others that hydrolyze the starch. “4. Why were each of the following steps performed in this experiment?” “a. Serial dilution” It was helpful in obtaining an appropriate number of cells for the assessment. It also reduces density of the cultures in the cells. “b. Growth on the nutrient agar plates” “Lab 5 Microbial Nutrition” “ BIO250L” The growth is used for isolating and purification of the cultures that were performed. It would be hard to perform the starch expirament without the growth appearing on the plates first. “c. Streak on the CMCA plates” This helps to obtain individual colonies