Biotechnology, Hungarian engineer Karl

Ereky first coined the term 'biotechnology' in

1919, meaning the production of products from
raw materials with the aid of living organisms.

Definition: the use of biology to solve

problems and make useful products. The most
prominent area of biotechnology is the
production of therapeutic proteins and other
drugs through genetic engineering.
 Biotechnology is a field that merges concepts from biology with
concepts of technology. It is broken down into four separate disciplines that are
often represented by specific colors: red, white, blue, and green. These colors
represent medical processes, industrial processes, marine processes, and
agricultural processes respectively.
Advancement is the primary benefit that biotechnology is able to provide.
Early pioneers in this field used information about various plant species to create
cross-breeding opportunities to improve yield, flavor, size, and color of their
harvests. Today’s biotechnology specialists are doing the same thing, but on a
much larger scale thanks to technology improvements in the 20th and 21st
centuries.
1. It can improve health and reduce hunger simultaneously.
Biotechnology has helped to improve the nutritional content of our food supply
Necessary vitamins and minerals can be produced in croplands and this reduces
health issues that are related to a lack of nutrients. At the same time,
biotechnology also improves cropland yields and nutritional density, so people
can eat less and still receive the same nutritional values. That allows more
people to have the food they need.

2. It creates flexibility within the food chain.

Biotechnology can also help croplands be able to produce foods that may not
be possible under “regular” conditions. Using concepts from this field of study, it is
possible to grow crops in the desert. It is possible to create crops that are naturally
resistant to pests. Although the amount of land our planet can provide is finite,
biotechnology allows us to be able to use more of it for what we need.
3. It offers medical advancement opportunities.
Biotechnology allows us to look within just as easily as we can look to the outside
world for advancement. Studies that involve the human genome have allowed us to
understand more about genetic diseases and some cancers, creating more effective
treatments for them – and sometimes cures. It has allowed us to explore the
reasons behind certain birth defects to understand the importance of folic acid.
That makes it possible to extend average human lifespans.

4. It allows us to preserve resources.

Biotechnology gives us an opportunity to extend the lifespan of our food supplies.
Practices that include salting foods to preserve them date back beyond Biblical
times. Freezing and drying foods as methods of preservation have been known for
centuries. Pasteur pioneered an approach of heating food products to remove
harmful elements so they can be preserved for an extended period.
5. It helps us minimize or eliminate waste products.
According to National Geographic, the footprint that humanity leaves on our planet
from waste is quite extensive. In 2006, the United States generated 251 million tons
of trash. That equates to nearly 5 pounds of trash per person, per day. 65% of trash
comes from homes and 55% of that trash will end up in a landfill. Biotechnology
allows us to create waste products that have better biodegradable properties. It
allows us to manage landfills more effectively. That way we can begin to minimize
the footprint being left for future generations.

6. It can reduce infectious disease rates.

Biotechnology has helped us to create vaccines. It has helped us be able to create
treatments that reduce difficult symptoms of disease. It has even helped us to learn
how infectious diseases can be transmitted so their transmission can be reduced.
That allows us to protect those who are most vulnerable to these diseases, giving
them a chance to live a happy, fulfilling life.
Biotechnology is made of two words as you can see - Biology + Technology and as
the name suggests, it is defined by the various combinations of components that
come under these two words. This gives it an interdisciplinary nature meaning that
you can explore it in a variety of fields.
Thus, all the ways of technology that can be applied to enhance, improve, research
and synthesize new products for the long term benefit of agriculture (food), plant
and animal life, healthcare (diagnosis and therapeutics, diseases, pharmaceuticals)
and environment is defined as biotechnology.
 Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary subject which is a
combination of biological sciences and engineering
technologies. It involves the development of products and
techniques through the use of living systems and
organisms.
Biotechnology: an interdisciplinary pursuit :

Biotechnology is a priori an interdisciplinary pursuit. In recent

decades a characteristic feature of the development of science and
technology has been the increasing resort to multidisciplinary strategies
for the solution of various problems. This has led to the emergence of
new interdisciplinary areas of study, with the eventual crystallization of
new disciplines with identifiable characteristic concepts and
methodologies. Chemical engineering and biochemistry are two well
recognized examples of disciplines that have done much to clarify our
understanding of chemical processes and the biochemical bases of
biological systems. The term multidisciplinary describes a quantitative
extension of approaches to problems that commonly occur within a given
area.
It involves the marshalling of concepts and methodologies from
a number of separate disciplines and applying them to a
specific problem in another area. In contrast, interdisciplinary
application occurs when the blending of ideas that occur during
multidisciplinary cooperation leads to the crystallization of a
new disciplinary area with its own concepts and
methodologies.
In practice, multidisciplinary enterprises are almost invariably
mission orientated. However, when true interdisciplinary
synthesis occurs the new area will open up a novel spectrum of
investigations. Many aspects of biotechnology have arisen
through the interaction between various parts of biology and
engineering.
A biotechnologist can utilize techniques derived from chemistry,
microbiology, biochemistry, chemical engineering and computer
science . The main objectives will be the innovation,
development and optimal operation of processes in which
biochemical catalysis has a fundamental and irreplaceable
role. Biotechnologists must also aim to achieve a close working
cooperation with experts from other related fields, such as
medicine, nutrition, the pharmaceutical and chemical
industries, environmental protection and waste process
technology. Biotechnology has two clear features: its
connections with practical applications and interdisciplinary
cooperation.
The industrial application of biotechnology will increasingly rest
upon each of the contributing disciplines to understand the
technical language of the others and, above all, to understand
the potential as well as the limitations of the other areas. For
instance, for the fermentation bioindustries the traditional
education for chemical engineers and industrial plant
designers has not normally included biological processes. The
nature of the materials required, the reactor vessels
(bioreactors) and the operating conditions are so different that
complete retraining is required.