Bacteria’s Sugar Acid Secret #worldresearchawards #researchaward #researcher #uronicacids
Bacteria possess remarkable metabolic pathways that enable them to transform simple sugars into valuable chemical compounds, including uronic and aldaric acids. These sugar-derived acids play crucial roles in microbial physiology, environmental adaptation, and industrial biotechnology. In this video, we uncover how bacteria unlock these powerful biochemical transformations and why they matter in modern science. Uronic acids are formed when the terminal hydroxyl group of a sugar is oxidized into a carboxylic acid, while aldaric acids result from oxidation at both ends of the sugar molecule. These reactions are driven by specialized bacterial enzymes that precisely control oxidation processes. Such biochemical pathways allow microbes to efficiently utilize carbohydrates as energy sources while producing intermediates useful for cell wall formation and extracellular polymer synthesis. Beyond natural metabolism, uronic and aldaric acids have significant industrial applications. They are ...