[Comparative study of the rate of glucose and oxygen consumption by bacteria normally and under the action of low temperatures].

The effect of freezing on the rate of respiration and glucose assimilation in Escherichia coli M-17 incubated in 2 mM phosphate buffer, physiological solution, and media containing 1% and 10% glycerol was studied by potentiometry and delayed fluorescence of bacterial cells. When the cells were frozen to --70 degrees C and the rate of freezing-thawing was 10--15 degrees C per 1 min, the rate of respiration and glucose assimilation was below the stationary level, and the restoration took 20--60 min depending on the incubation medium. The low activity of the cells is attributed to the disturbed permeability of bacterial membranes, in particularly, for H+ ions.