Specific gravity of bacterial dry matter

Range 1.35 - 1.6 g/cm^3
Organism bacteria
Reference Bratbak G, Dundas I. Bacterial dry matter content and biomass estimations. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984 Oct48(4):755-7. p.756 left column 3rd paragraphPubMed ID6508285
Primary Source [1] Bakken LR, Olsen RA. Buoyant densities and dry-matter contents of microorganisms: conversion of a measured biovolume into biomass. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1983 Apr45(4):1188-95 [2] Birnie GD, Rickwood D, Hell A. Buoyant densities and hydration of nucleic acids, proteins and nucleoprotein complexes in metrizamide. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1973 Dec 7 331(2):283-94 [13] Luria, S. E. 1960. The bacterial protoplasm: composition and organization, p. 1-34. In I. C. Gunsalus and R. Y. Stainer (ed.), The bacteria, vol. 1. Academic Press, Inc., New York. [20] van Veen JA, Paul EA. Conversion of biovolume measurements of soil organisms, grown under various moisture tensions, to biomass and their nutrient content. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1979 Apr37(4):686-92.PubMed ID16346263, 4590205, 16345366
Comments P.756 left column 3rd paragraph: "From literature data on bacterial cell content of protein, DNA, RNA, lipid, carbohydrate, and ash (primary sources 13, 20), and data on the specific gravity of these compounds (primary sources 1, 2, 20), one may estimate the specific gravity of bacterial dry matter to be in the range of 1.35 to 1.6 g/cm^3. Based on these estimates and on [investigators’] experimentally determined values for percent dry weight of cells, [they] have calculated the theoretical buoyant densities of bacterial cells. These calculated values were, in general, slightly higher than the buoyant density values determined by direct experimentation (Table 2)."
Entered by Uri M
ID 114795