Monday, December 3, 2018

A brief introduction to Biotechnology

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A brief introduction to Biotechnology


Every science has successive stages of development through the ages. Perhaps the most controversial and preoccupied by many today is the science of biotechnology, and its common name is biotechnology. It is thought to be a modern science but it dates back to ancient times, About 4000 years ago they used yeast to produce bread.





However, the term biotechnology was first introduced in 1919 by Hungarian engineer Karl Ekry, who refers to the production of products (food, drinks, chemicals) from raw materials with the help of microorganisms, which is now referred to as traditional biotechnology. Modern.

Perhaps the one that caused this controversy among many is the existence of a technology word combined with the word "Bio" which means life, since we used the technology is integrated and linked to non-living industries, so let us first explain the term and then clarify more example, if we explain the term " Bio-technology ", we see that it is derived from the integration of life science and technology.

Although biotechnology has been defined in different ways, it is known to use biosystems and microorganisms to produce materials useful to humanity.

The Biotechnology Assessment Authority of the United States Congress has defined biotechnology as "any technique that uses organisms or their products to make or modify the output or improvement of plants and animals or to develop microorganisms for special uses." Biotechnology includes:

Traditional biotechnology
Modern Biotechnology
If we imagine that we have a factory for the production of cars and this industrial system therefore needs inputs to give us the final product (car) metal sheets, tires, seat fabrics, glass, electrical system, etc., all this requires technical workers to assemble these tools to manufacture the car! So, if we replace the car factory with the sugar production plant, the sugarcane plant, scientific name Saccarumo fficinarum , will be the same and will not need industrial inputs to produce sugar, but to natural inputs such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, That to give us sugar.

Therefore, it is a biologic plant and its production is not limited to sugar, but is derived from its residues, such as the baby that remains after its age. This name is called cellulose. It can be used in the manufacture of paper or it is compressed and the wood industry is made of it. Also from the residues containing some of the sugar industry fermentation fermentation.

The above example does not mean that biotechnology is limited to the use of large organisms only, but small organisms that do not see the micro organism can also be used. For example, the bacteria used to produce yogurt are called Streptococcus thermophiles ( Lactobacillus delbrueckii) subsp. Bulgarus is a ladybug as a ladies' necklace. They are made of milk. They are a factory for the production of Lactic acid. In exchange for its production, milk, sugar, lactose, minerals, vitamins and yogurt consume these substances, give us Lactic acid and, when combined, reduce pH to 4, 6, which is called Isoelectric PH is the aggregates and gives us cheese and if it is in the specific way that gives us yogurt.

It does not mean that all biotechnology products can be consumed as a commodity, since it can serve as an example to illustrate: a police dog can not eat its flesh but it serves as an organism consumes water, Food, good treatment while all that gives us service as guarding and finding legal irregularities; that is, it does not give us a commodity we use but gives us service.

This means that each product must have inputs, bases and systems for its production. As explained in the above examples, biotechnology also includes four basic elements:

(1) Biological Catalyst

An organism, plant, animal, or enzymatic system may have a special function. (As microorganisms were used in food production, those that were genetically modified to produce hormones and important medical drugs such as insulin).

(2) subject matter subject

It is used as a food source for microorganisms and its type is determined by the type of microorganism and the type of process desired.

(3) the vessel

The biotechnological process includes all the components of the container in which the biotechnical process is usually carried out by the bioreactor. It is designed to regulate and maintain the physico-chemical environment such as temperature, pH, pH and ventilation. Optimal expression of the biochemical properties of the biochemical catalyst.

(4) Isolation and purification of products

At the end of the biotechnological process, in most cases, the desirable product must be isolated from the prevailing aquatic environment. It can be chemo-like (ethanol or antibiotic) or biomass (the same microorganism after proliferation as in a single-cell protein).

We conclude that biotechnology is closely related to other sciences (biochemistry, microorganisms, cellular biology, biological and molecular genetics, food technology engineering, food science, etc.).

What are Biotechnology Applications?

1 - Medical products: (hormones such as insulin and human growth hormone, drugs, antibiotics, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines).

2 - In agriculture: (plants resistant to pests, plants resistant to herbicides, genetically modified plants, genetically modified animals, nitrogen fixation, plant cell plantations).

3. Production of chemicals: (ethanol, acetone, butanol, polymers).

4- Food and beverages: (dairy products, mono-cell protein, bread production).

5. Mining: (extraction of minerals by bio filtration).

6. Treatment of waste: (treatment of toxic pollutants, treatment of agricultural and industrial waste, treatment of oil pollution).

7 - Enzyme technology: (production of enzymes used in industry, medicine and food).

8. Production of biofuels: (biodiesel, methane).

In the end, we should know that not all biotech activities are noble, but may be as malicious as in biological warfare. In one country, microbiologists raise bacteria called Clostridium botulinum , a highly dangerous bacteria that secrete Botulinum toxin, a neurotoxin Neurotoxin, where one gram kills a million people as it prevents the secretion of Acetylcholine, which transfers the nerve material from another nerve cell so if you eat someone who gets paralysis.

Sources
The Book of Biotechnology by Dr. Abdel Moneim Mohamed El Sayed.
Https://www.bio.org
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