TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 



Preface vii 



Introduction 1 



(a) Significance of the physiology of bacteria 1 



(b) Partial functions 4 



PART A. ENDOGENOUS CATABOLISM 



(a) Endogenous catabolism and autolysis 9 



(b) Endogenous catabolism of yeast 11 



(c) Chemical conception of "wear and tear" 16 



(d) Auto-oxidation of the cell 18 



(e) Summary 20 



PART B. ENERGY SUPPLY OF THE CELL 



I. Physical Considerations 22 



(a) The two sources of energy for life 22 



(b) Amounts of energy 25 



(c) Methods of measuring energy yields 26 



{d) The need for energy 32 



(e) Summary 34 



II. Chemical Considerations . 35 



(a) Enzymes of fermentation 35 



(b) The known zymases, or fermenting enzymes 36 



(c) Complexity of zymase action 38 



(d) Equations of fermentation 40 



(e) Successive stages in the fermentation of sugars .... 44 

 (/) Types of fermentation (sugars, proteins, amino acids) . 49 

 (g) Interaction between nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous 



food compounds 62 



(h) Mechanism of fermentation, 64 



(i) Summary 67 



III. The Role op Oxygen in All Fermentations 69 



IV. The Oxidation-reduction Potential 82 



(a) Electrometric measurements of potentials 82 



(b) Reduction potential and acidity 88 



xi 



V(^fff 



