1. What is Biotechnology?

2. Definition  “……any technique that uses living organisms or substances from those organisms, to make or modify a product, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific uses”.

3. Origins of Biotechnology  Biotechnology Timeline Biotechnology Timeline  Archaeological clues of domestication and agriculture  artificial selection of desirable traits creating new varieties.

4. Ancient Plant Germplasm  Nikolai I. Vavilov (1887-1943) - established Institute of Plant Industry in Leningrad. - first gene bank for long term storage of germplasm.  Germplasm collections: - economical value. - important to disease resistance to crop plants.

5. CGIAR  Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research: International consortium - ensures conservation of plant species in more than 90 countries - short term (30 years) and long term (100 years) storage. - research programs

6. Fermented Foods and Beverages Early biotechnology!  Fermentation: from the Latin fervere, “to boil”.  microbial process in which enzymatically controlled transformations of organic compounds occur.

7. Bread  Early bread made from emmer.  Fermented dough discovered by accident: Saccharomyces winlocki used as early as 1500BC.  Bakers yeast used today is Saccharomyces cervasiae.

8. Yogurt and Cheese  4000BC: lactic acid producing bacteria used to make yogurt.  Milk  cheese casein coagulates in presence of bacteria  curd + whey Cheese flavoring:Penicillium cambemberti, Penicillium glaucum roqueforti.

9. Classical Biotechnology The development of fermentation from ancient times to present day! Modern fermentation chambers  Alcohol: top fermentation, bottom fermentation.  Vinegar: microorganisms oxidize wine.  Commercial products, eg. glycerol, acetone,butanol, lactic acid, citric acid, yeast biomass

10.  Aseptic technique meant sterile fermenters called bioreactors.  Antibiotics  Hormones and “therapeutics” produced using biotransformation technology (microbial hydroxylation).  Pharmaceutical compounds  Enzymes, biomass, single cell protein (SCP) and amino acids produced by batch culturing.

11. Produced Amino Acids and their Uses Amino acidUse Alanine, aspartate, glycineImprove taste of fruit juice CysteineEnhance flavor of bread and fruit juice. Glutamate (MSG)Enhance flavor Histidine + trytophanPrevents rancidity LysineBread; complete protein MethionineSoybean products; complete protein

12. Commercial enzymes produced by microorganisms. EnzymeActivityMicroorganismUse CellulaseHydrolyzes cellulose Trichoderma konigiDigestive aid CollagenaseHydrolyzes collagen Clostridium histolyticum Promotes wound healing diastaseHydrolyzes starch Aspergillus oryzaeDigestive aid invertaseHydrolyzes sucrose Saccharomyces cerevisiae Candy manufacture PectinaseHydrolyzes pectin Sclerotina libertinaClarifies fruit juice proteaseHydrolyzes protein Bacillus subtilisUsed in detergents

13. Modern Biotechnology.  Compound microscope (Janssen, 1590)  Development of Cell Theory – “all cells arise from cells”  Biochemistry and Genetics  Nucleic acids from white blood cells (Meischer)  Ultracentrifugation  The Nature of the gene