Biotechnology: The Industrial View

Biotechnology is technology based on biology, wherein it harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet. We have used the biological processes of microorganisms for more than 6,000 years to make useful food products, such as bread and cheese, and to preserve dairy products. Biotechnology is the third wave in biological science and represents such an interface of basic and applied sciences, where gradual and subtle transformation of science into technology can be witnessed.

Biotechnology is defined as the application of scientific and engineering principals to the processing of material by biological agents to provide goods and services. Biotechnology comprises a number of technologies based upon increasing understanding of biology at the cellular and molecular level. The science of biotechnology can be broken down into sub disciplines called red, white, green, and blue.

•      Red biotechnology involves medical processes such as getting organisms to produce new drugs, or using stem cells to regenerate damaged human tissues and perhaps re-grow entire organs.

•        White (or gray) biotechnology involves industrial processes such as the production of new chemicals or the development of new fuels for vehicles.

•        Green biotechnology applies to agriculture and involves such processes as the development of pest-resistant grains or the accelerated evolution of disease-resistant animals.

•     Blue biotechnology, rarely mentioned, encompasses processes in marine and aquatic environments, such as controlling the proliferation of noxious water-borne organisms.

Industrial biotechnology is one of the most promising new approaches to pollution prevention, resource conservation, and cost reduction. It is often referred to as the third wave in biotechnology. If developed to its full potential, industrial biotechnology may have a larger impact on the world than health care and agricultural biotechnology. The application of biotechnology to industrial processes is not only transforming how we manufacture products but is also providing us with new products that could not even be imagined a few years ago.

Industrial biotechnology has produced enzymes for use in our daily lives and for the manufacturing sector. For instance, meat tenderizer is an enzyme and some contact lens cleaning fluids contain enzymes to remove sticky protein deposits. In the main, industrial biotechnology involves the microbial production of enzymes, which are specialized proteins. These enzymes have evolved in nature to be super-performing biocatalysts that facilitate and speed-up complex biochemical reactions.

Industrial biotechnology involves working with nature to maximize and optimize existing biochemical pathways that can be used in manufacturing. The industrial biotechnology revolution rides on a series of related developments in three fields of study of detailed information derived from the cell: genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics.

Industrial biotechnology companies use many specialized techniques to find and improve nature's enzymes. Information from genomic studies on microorganisms is helping researchers capitalize on the wealth of genetic diversity in microbial populations.

Researchers first search for enzyme-producing microorganisms in the natural environment and then use DNA probes to search at the molecular level for genes that produce enzymes with specific biocatalytic capabilities. Once isolated, such enzymes can be identified and characterized for their ability to function in specific industrial processes. If necessary, they can be improved with biotechnology techniques

Industrial or White Biotechnology is the application of biotechnology for the processing and production of chemicals, materials and energy. White biotechnology uses enzymes and micro-organisms to make products in sectors such as chemistry, food and feed, paper and pulp, textiles and energy. White Biotechnology could provide new chances to the chemical industry by allowing easy access to building blocks and materials that were only accessible before via intricate routes or not at all.

AnilaRani, a professor in biotechnology educates various industrial processes that have contributed to biotechnology’s attractiveness. She conducts various seminars and lectures in all major aspects of economic activity, including agriculture, environmental protection and industry, which are being challenged to demonstrate their sustainability. Industrial Biotechnology can make a major contribution. It can, for example:

•        Make agriculture, including the forestry, wherein more competitive and sustainable by creating new non-food markets

•        Improve the quality of life of European citizens while reducing environmental impact by developing innovative products at affordable costs

•      Help industry increase its economic and environmental efficiency and sustainability, while           maintaining or improving its competitive advantage and ability to generate growth

According to Anila Rani, the White Biotechnology can make a positive impact across all three dimensions of inability: Society, the Environment and the Economy. In short, Industrial Biotechnology is a cornerstone of the knowledge-based bio-economy. It adds value to agricultural products and builds new industrial production schemes targeted towards an overall greater degree of sustainability.

Bioreactors and its domain

A bioreactor is a container which is used to hold organisms for the purpose of harnessing their natural biochemical processes, such as fermentation tank for beer, in which certain microorganisms are encouraged to thrive, causing the contents of the tank to ferment and creating a usable end product. In a batch bioreactor, everything is added at once to a controlled and sealed environment, and the biochemical reactions are allowed to run their course before the reactor is opened so that the contents can be extracted and utilized, disposed of, or further processes. Others operate on a continuous flow method, in which materials constantly flow through the bioreactor. Waste treatment plants, for example, utilize continuous flow to process solid waste.

There are numerous types of bioreactors - batch, sequence, continuously stirred tanks, anaerobic contact processes, anaerobic filters, etc.

1. They can be conveniently classified into three major types based on the presence or absence of oxygen and requirement of stirring:

•    Non stirred non aerated bioreactors are used for production of traditional products such as wine,beer, cheese etc.

•        Non stirred aerated reactors are used much rarely.

•    Stirred and aerated reactors are most often used for production of metabolites which require growth of microbes which require oxygen. Most of the newer methods are based on this type of bioreactors.

2. Based on mode of operation, the bioreactors can be classified into three types:

•        Batch reactors

•        Fed batch

•        Continuous e.g.: chemo stat

3. Based on the method of growing of microbes, bioreactors can be either:

•        Suspended

•        Immobilized

The Petri dish is the simplest immobilized bioreactor. The large scale immobilized bioreactors are used for commercial manufacturing of metabolites. They include:

•        Moving bed

•        Fibrous bed

•        Packed bed

•        Membrane

Anilarani, is a proficient professor specialized in biotechnologies and its various branches. She conducts seminars for that students and professionals about the benefits of bioreactor technology. This technology is widely used for its prophecy to reduce the time required for the decomposition of waste. As a result of the accelerated decomposition of the waste in a bioreactor, the production of bio gas also occurs within a shorter period of time. Although the quantity of gas produced in a bioreactor is theoretically comparable to the amount produced at a landfill, its generation over a much shorter period of time makes green energy production a viable environmental and commercial pursuit.

Bio-Fertilizers, a natural muck

Fertilizers are chemically synthesized products used for better crop yielding. Bio-Fertilizers are eco-friendly fertilizers that are used to improve the quality and fertility of the soil. The bio-fertilizers are prepared from biological wastage, wherein the chemicals are not used. These naturally synthesized bio fertilizers are beneficial for the soil that marks it more fertile and enriches by introducing required micro-organisms that help in producing organic nutrients. The bio fertilizers not only help to make the soil fertile but it also makes it compatible to fight soil diseases. Therefore, the better the quality of soil is used for cropping, the better is the nutrition the crop can supply and deplete nutrients of the soil.

Bio-fertilizers are produced from bacteria, fungi, and cyno-bacteria. The plant possesses special relationships with bacteria and fungi as they are responsible to provide nutrition, resistance against diseases, and the ability to combat worst climatic conditions. The future of fertilizers is open with bio fertilizers as they are capable to solve the problems of salinity of the soil and helps to run out the chemical from the fields. Bio fertilizers are broadly categorized as:

·      Biocompost: Refers to a kind of organic fertilizer that is prepared from sugar waste. The waste of first decomposed using human and plants bacteria and fungi. Bio-compost has nitrogen and helps the farmers to increase soil fertility.

·    Vermi Compost: Refers to an organic fertilizer that has nitrogen phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, organic carbon, sulfur, hormones, enzymes, and many more. It makes your soil so fertile by providing lots of nutrient in the soil.

·       Phospho: Refers to a kind of bio fertilizer that releases insoluble phosphorus in the soil that makes it healthy and fertile to yield crops

·       Rhizo: Refers to bacteria that introduce nitrogen fixing nodules on the roots of the vegetables, such as peas, beans, thereby playing a significant role in agriculture.

·     Azotobactor: Refers to a fertilizer that improves the collects atmospheric nitrogen from the soil to make it available to the plant. This also helps to shield the roots from other pathogens existing in the soil.

·    Trichoderma: Refers to an eco friendly fertilizer that acts as a bio controller agent and is hyper parasitic against various pathogens in the field.

The study and technology behind bio fertilizers are intense, which is commanded and expertly addressed to students from Anila Rani. She is proficient in providing the detailed concepts about the subject matter and helps to understand the most complicated matter in a simple way. Anila Rani is a professional trainer that admires the students with her fascinated teaching skills. She has guided many people to make the use of bio fertilizers as they are environment friendly and never damage the crop environment.

Difference between biotechnology and bioscience

The Biotechnology is the field that uses the living organisms and biological systems that develop or can produce products and processes. Earlier, biotechnology was used in agriculture, food production, and medicine. Biotechnology then expanded to a new diverse science in the form of genomics, recombinant gene, immunology, pharmaceutical, and diagnostics.

The Bioscience is another name given to life sciences or a life science collectively. Bioscience deals with the biological aspects of living organisms. Basically, all the eatables, breathable, and sleeper organisms are covered under bioscience. This must be noted that bioscience consists of all the scientific disciplines that study life through living things in either in their past or present.

The life sciences have the science that engages the scientific study of living organisms, such as animals, plants, and humans. Biology is the stream that majorly deals with life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology that altogether have led to growing specializations fields.

The name Anila Rani Pullagura from Rvce Banglore is reputed in the domain of biotechnology that serves seven years of teaching experience and four years of research experience, where the main areas of interests are covered as biochemical engineering, design of bioreactors, and modification of purifying methods. Anila Rani actively participates in seminars, journals, and conferences. Some of the reputed publications of Anila Rani in International journals are:

• Characterization of pencillin acylase enzyme produced by mutant E-coli” (communicated),international journal of fermentation technology,2013
• Molecular Characterization of multi drug resistance in enterobacteria using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism
• Production of penicillin acylase using mutant Escherichia coli strain
• Isothermal kinetic and thermodynamic studies on basic dyes sorption using rice husk