leavening agent

(noun)

An organism or compound that can make dough rise and produce soft bread.

Related Terms

Examples of leavening agent in the following topics:

  • Edible Fungi

    • The yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used as leavening agentfor the production of bread since ancient times.
    • Other yeasts and some bacteria can be used as leavening agents too.

  • Fermented Foods

    • Fermentation is also employed in the leavening of bread (CO2 produced by yeast activity); in preservation techniques to produce lactic acid in sour foods such as sauerkraut, dry sausages, kimchi, and yogurt; and in the pickling of foods with vinegar (acetic acid).

  • Biological Control of Microbes

    • Those that result in bacterial death are called bactericidal agents.
    • Those causing temporary inhibition of growth are bacteriostatic agents.
    • No single antimicrobial agent is most effective for use in all situations - different situations may call for different agents.
    • A number of factors affect selection of the best agent for any given situation - Antimicrobial agents must be selected with specific organisms and environmental conditions in mind.
    • Once an agent has been selected, it is important to evaluate it's effectiveness.

  • Antisense Agents

    • Antisense agents are short oligonucleotides that bind to target messenger RNA and inhibit protein synthesis.
    • When this agent binds to the pathogen DNA or messenger RNA, the biosynthesis of target proteins is disrupted.
    • A limiting factor in their potential application as therapeutic agents for bacterial infections is their poor uptake by bacterial cells.
    • Antisense agents also exhibit efficacy in broader clinical applications such as cancer therapy.
    • Discuss the mechanism of antisense agents and the advantages and disadvantages of antisense therapy

  • Damage to Proteins and Nucleic Acids

    • A bacteriostatic agent is a biological or chemical agent that stops bacteria from reproducing by targeting DNA replication and proteins.
    • A bacteriostatic agent or bacteriostat, abbreviated Bstatic, is a biological or chemical agent that stops bacteria from reproducing, while not necessarily harming them.
    • High concentrations of some bacteriostatic agents are also bactericidal, whereas low concentrations of some bacteriocidal agents are bacteriostatic.

  • The Diagnostic Scheme

    • Diagnosis of infectious disease sometimes involves identifying an infectious agent either directly or indirectly.
    • Given sufficient effort, all known infectious agents can be specifically identified.
    • In a microbial culture, a growth medium is provided for a specific agent.
    • Biochemical tests used in the identification of infectious agents include the detection of metabolic or enzymatic products characteristic of a particular infectious agent.
    • First, the catalog of infectious agents has grown to the point that virtually all of the significant infectious agents of the human population have been identified.

  • Technology and New Infectious Agents

    • Technology aids in the identification of new infectious agents, but it also contributes to the emergence of new diseases.
    • The use of advanced technology and molecular methods for detection, identification, and characterization of infectious agents is gaining importance in clinical microbiology laboratories.
    • Identification of an emerging pathogen by conventional methods is difficult and time-consuming due to the 'novel' nature of the agent.
    • Looking back at past epidemics or outbreaks caused by previously unknown infectious agents, we realize that identification and characterization of a new infectious agent can take years, decades, or even centuries.
    • Give examples demonstrating the positive and negative impacts technology has had on new infectious agents

  • Diagnosing Microbial Diseases

    • Diagnosis of microbial diseases calls upon numerous techniques to help identify and characterize the pathogenic agent.
    • It is critical to isolate the infectious agent in a pure culture containing only the infectious bacteria.
    • There are also specific types of infectious agents that require the use of xenodiagnosis to promote growth.
    • They will specifically test for metabolic and enzymatic products that an infectious agent may use.
    • PCR allows for the identification and testing for nucleic acids which are specific to the infectious agent.

  • Biological Weapons

    • Biological warfare (BW) is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents with the intent to kill or incapacitate.
    • Biological weapons (often termed "bio-weapons", "biological threat agents", or "bio-agents") are living organisms or replicating entities (viruses) that reproduce or replicate within their host victims.
    • Toxins and psychochemical weapons are often referred to as midspectrum agents.
    • This feature can be undesirable, as the agent or agents may be transmitted by this mechanism to unintended populations, including neutral or even friendly forces.
    • Its 11.4 cm diameter carried 0.1 kg of liquid biological agent.

  • Mechanisms of Resistance

    • Development of microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents requires alterations in the microbe's cell physiology and structure.
    • Development of microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents requires alterations in the microbe's cell physiology and structure.
    • Some common pathways bacteria use to effect antimicrobial resistance include: enzymatic degradation or modification of the antimicrobial agent, decreased uptake or accumulation of the antimicrobial agent, altered antimicrobial target, circumvention of consequences of antimicrobial actions, uncoupling of antimicrobial agent-target interaction, or any combination of these mechanisms.