How do bacteria obtain their nourishment?

Most bacteria are heterotrophic i.e. they depend on readymade food from different sources. In this category, the bacteria maybe:

1. Saprotrophic — Such bacteria draw nourishment from decaying dead organisms.
2. Parasitic — Such bacteria draw nourishment from the body of their living hosts.

The bacteria secrete powerful enzymes from their cells into the surrounding food containing material. The enzymes make the food material soluble which is then absorbed as a solution into the bacterial cell.