Biotechnology

Biotechnology is science of manufacturing useful substances, chemicals, medicines by use of living organisms and their life process. In fact, biotechnology is not a new science. Alcohol was the first product manufactured by ancient biotechnologist.

In recent years, biotechnology is growing as a separate science - after recognizing its importance in many fields. It has attracted the attention of many intellectuals from diverse fields like agriculture, medicine, microbiology, organic chemistry besides a batch of industrial/chemical engineers. It is a multidisciplinary field wherein the principles of microbiology and chemistry are made useful to produce a useful substance by an industrial process developed for specific situations. Many more fields like molecular biology, genetic engineering, immunology have also added new folds of potentiality to biotechnology.

The scope for biotechnology is so wide that it is possibly difficult to recognize the limits. Large number of microorganisms - large number of useful chemicals - great number of applications have made innumerable combinations of opportunities in the field of biotechnology.

Some areas of application of biotechnology include:

• Food industry - production of fermented / malted food.

• Diary industry - production of microbe assisted dairy products like yogurt, different types of cheese.

• Beverage industry - production of wine, beer, whisky, etc.,

• Sewage treatment - To treat sewage water to purify.

• Organic acids like lactic, gluconic, acetic and citric acid.

• Production of enzymes for industrial and medicinal use.

• Production of vitamins.

• Production of medicines - antibiotics.

• Production of vaccines - against specific disease.

• Production of hormones - for human and animal welfare.

• Production of antibodies - against specific pathogens.

• Production of steroids - used as antifertility formulation.

Some of them draw special interest in modern world.