To prepare for an experiment, ten different sources of food were sterilized and kept in a sterile container. Bacteria of the same species were placed on each of the ten different food sources and kept at 26°C for two days. During this time, bacteria grew in nine of the containers. Based on this observation, the scientist could conclude that ________.

The process of utilization of food material as a source of food depends on the Operon machinery of the Bacteria. The Operons gets activated in the presence of the inducer molecule which leads to the gene expression and the production of the enzymes to digest the food substance.

In the given condition, since the bacterial growth was observed in the nine containers out of ten shows that bacteria expressed the genes and produces enzymes to digest the substance in nine plates only and showed growth.

Thus, Bacteria were able to utilize the food material in nine containers by producing respective enzymes is the correct answer.