6.3.4 introduction to biotechnology

use of living organisms or parts of living organisms in industrial processes. this could be to produce food, drugs or other products

• food - ethanol in beer & wine - carbon dioxide to make bread rise - lactic acid for yoghurt & cheese • pharmaceutical drugs - penicillin (antibiotics) - insulin (therapeutic human proteins) • enzymes - protease & lipase in washing powders - sucrase used to digest sugar to make food sweeter • other products - biogas (carbon dioxide & methane) - bioremediation (cleaning waste water)

• cheap & easy to grow • mostly, production process occurs at lower temperatures than required to make molecules by chemical engineering = saves fuel & money • production process can occur at normal atmospheric pressure = safer than chemical reactions (high pressure for certain molecules) • production process not dependent on climate = occur anywhere • microorganism can be fed by-products from other food industries eg. starch, waste water, molasses • have shorter life cycle & reproduce quickly = large population can grow very quickly inside reaction vessel (fermenter) • can be genetically modified easily = specific production processes can be achieved • fewer ethical considerations • products often released into surrounding medium = easier to harvest • product often pure/easier to isolate than chemical engineering = lower downstream which reduces costs

• genetically-modified mammals (eg. sheep, goats & cow) can be used to produce useful proteins –> proteins incorporated into milk = easily harvested (eg. goats have been genetically-modified to possess gene for spider silk & secrete into milk –> proteins secreted into blood eg. cows have been genetically-modified to synthesise human antibodies, which can be isolated from their blood