History of Biotechnology

History of Biotechnology

Stages of Biotech • Ancient • Classical • Modern

Ancient Biotech • Begins with early civilization • Developments in ag and food production • Few records exist

Ancient Biotech • Archeologists research • Ancient carvings and sketches sources of information

Classical Biotech • Follows ancient • Makes wide spread use of methods from ancient, especially fermentation • Methods adapted to industrial production

Classical Biotech • Produce large quantities of food products and other materials in short amount of time • Meet demands of increasing population

Classical Biotech • Many methods developed through classical biotech are widely used today.

Modern Biotech • Manipulation of genetic material within organisms • Based on genetics and the use of microscopy, biochemical methods, related sciences and technologies

Modern Biotech • Often known as genetic engineering • Roots involved the investigation of genes

Ancient Biotech • Not known when biotech began exactly • Focused on having food and other human needs

Ancient Biotech • Useful plants brought from the wild, planted near caves where people lived • As food was available, ability to store and preserve emerged

Ancient • Food preservation most likely came from unplanned events such as a fire or freeze

Domestication • 15,000 years ago, large animals were hard to capture • People only had meat when they found a dead animal • Came up with ways of capturing fish and small animals

Domestication • Food supplies often seasonal • Winter food supplies may get quite low • Domestication is seen by scientists as the beginning of biotech

Domestication • Adaptation of organisms so they can be cultured • Most likely began 11,000 – 12,000 years ago in the middle east

Domestication • Involved the collecting of seed from useful plants and growing crude crops from that seed • Involved the knowledge that the seed had to properly mature

Domestication • Proper planting • Need for water, light and other conditions for plant growth • Earliest plants likely grains and other seeds used for food

Domestication • Raising animals in captivity began about the same time in history • Easier to have an animal close by that to hunt and capture a wild one

Domestication • Learned that animals need food and water • Learned about simple breeding • How to raise young

Domestication • Cattle, goats and sheep were the first domesticated food animals

Domestication • About 10,000 years ago, people had learned enough about plants and animals to grow their own food • The beginning of farming.

Food • Domestication resulted in food supplies being greater in certain times of the year • Products were gathered and stored

Food • Some foods rotted • Others changed form and continued to be good to eat • Foods stored in a cool cave did not spoil as quickly

Food • Foods heated by fire also did not spoil as quickly • Immersing in sour liquids prevented food decay

Food preservation • Using processes that prevent or slow spoilage • Heating, cooling, keeps microorganisms (mo’s) from growing

Food preservation • Stored in bags of leather or jars of clay • Fermentation occurs if certain mo’s are present • Creates an acid condition that slows or prevents spoilage

Cheese • One of the first food products made through biotechnology • Began some 4,000 years ago • Nomadic tribes in Asia

Cheese • Strains of bacteria were added to milk • Caused acid to form • Resulting in sour milk

Cheese • Enzyme called “rennet” was added • Rennet comes from the lining of the stomachs of calves

Cheese • Rennet is genetically engineered today • Not all cheese is made from produced rennet

Yeast • Long used in food preparation and preservation • Bread baking • Yeast produces a gas in the dough causing the dough to rise

Yeast • Fermented products • Vinegar • Require the use of yeast in at least one stage of production

Yeast • Species of fungi • Some are useful • Some may cause diseases

Vinegar • Ancient product used to preserve food • Juices and extracts from fruits and grains can be fermented

Fermentation • Process in which yeast enzymes chemically change compounds into alcohol • In making vinegar the first product of fermentation is alcohol

Fermentation • Alcohol is converted to acetic acid by additional microbe activity • Acid gives vinegar a sour taste • Vinegar prevents growth of some bacteria

Vinegar • Keeps foods from spoiling • Used in pickling • Biblical references to wine indicate the use of fermentation some 3,000 years ago

Fermentation control • In ancient times, likely happened by accident • Advancements occurred in the 1800’s and early 1900’s

Fermenters • Used to advance fermentation process • Specially designed chamber that promotes fermentation

Fermenters • Allowed better control, especially with vinegar • New products such as glycerol, acetone, and citric acid resulted

Development • Of yeasts that were predictable and readily available led to modern baking industry

Antibiotics • Use of fermentation hastened the development of antibiotics • A drug used to combat bacterial infections

Antibiotics • Penicillin • Developed in the late1920’s • Introduced in the 1940’s • First drug produced by microbes

Antibiotics • Many kinds available today • Limitations in their use keep disease producing organisms from developing immunity to antibiotics

Antibiotics • Use antibiotics only when needed. • Overuse may make the antibiotic ineffective when really needed later

Antibiotics • Some disease organisms are now resistant to certain antibiotics • Used in both human and vet medicine

Modern Biotech • Deals with manipulating genetic info • Microscopy and advanced computer technology are used • In-depth knowledge of science

Modern Biotech • Based on genetics research from the mid 1800’s

Genetics • Study of heredity • Most work has focused on animal and plant genetics • Genes – determiners of heredity

Genes • Carry the genetic code • Understanding genetic structure essential for genetic engineering

History of Biotechnology