Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Yeasts, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have been used for centuries to produce alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, whisky, brandy, and rum. These beverages are made through the fermentation of malted cereals and fruit juices by yeast, specifically brewer's yeast. During fermentation, yeast undergoes metabolic reactions that result in the production of ethanol, the primary alcohol in alcoholic beverages. Different types of alcoholic drinks are obtained based on the raw materials used and the processing methods employed. Wine and beer are produced without distillation, while whisky, brandy, and rum are produced by distilling the fermented mixture. On the other hand, antibiotics, which are chemical substances produced by certain microbes, are considered one of the significant discoveries of the twentieth century. They have greatly contributed to the well-being of human society. Antibiotics are capable of killing or inhibiting the growth of disease-causing microbes, thereby having a positive impact on human health.
Which among the following is the first discovered antibiotic?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Penicillin
Penicillin was the first antibiotic to be discovered, and it was found by chance. Alexander Fleming, while working on Staphylococci, saw a mould in an unwashed culture plate around which the bacteria could not grow. He traced this to a chemical made by the mould and named it Penicillin after the mould Penicillium notatum. Ernest Chain and Howard Florey later established its full potential. Other antibiotics were purified from other microbes only after Penicillin.
NCERT Extract:
Antibiotics – “… You are familiar with the commonly used antibiotic Penicillin. Do you know that Penicillin was the first antibiotic to be discovered, and it was a chance discovery? Alexander Fleming while working on Staphylococci bacteria, once observed a mould growing in one of his unwashed culture plates around which Staphylococci could not grow. He found out that it was due to a chemical produced by the mould and he named it Penicillin after the mould Penicillium notatum. However, its full potential as an effective antibiotic was established much later by Ernest Chain and Howard Florey.”