I want to know what influence bacteria have on the breakdown of compostable waste bags (based on starch) and what exactly happens during this process.
Answer
Starch is a polymer of glucose. Just like our cells, bacteria use glucose for their energy production. Many bacteria produce enzymes that break down all kinds of substances in the environment. An example of this is alpha-amylase, which breaks down (hydrolyses) the sugar chain in starch into smaller pieces. These mono- or disaccharides can then be taken up by the bacteria and further broken down and converted into cellular energy in the form of ATP.
This process happens naturally in a compost heap. After all, the most important components (calculated by weight) of plants that we normally introduce there are starch and cellulose, and bacteria degrade them into sugars for their own metabolism.
Answered by
Prof. dr. Bart Devreese
Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis proteins
http://www.ugent.be
.