Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INTRODUCTION TO
BIOTECHNOLOGY
You must know and understand the principles of biotechnology, as well as the role of the
chemical engineer within biotechnology.
substantiate the role of the chemical engineer within the field of biotechnology.
1.1
INTRODUCTION
Processes such as fermentation have been known to mankind since prehistoric times. The
making of bread, beer, vinegar, cheese and wine were already established technologies in
ancient Egypt. As a matter of fact, beer formed the major part of ancient Egypt's diet.
Archeological evidence has shown that the ancient Egyptians were fully aware of the
necessity of adding malt to the barley for brewing beer. They were also aware of the
requirement of cultures to start the process. Besides yeast, these cultures probably also
contained lactic-acid bacteria. But did the Egyptians know precisely what they were doing at
that time? (El-Mansi, et al., 2007)
With the advancement of science, especially regarding biotechnology, light can now be shed
on these ancient and traditional activities.
Study unit 1
1.
2.
Work through the following presentations found on eFundi (Resources, Study Unit 1),
using the handouts provided:
2.1
Study Unit 1A
2.2
Study Unit 1B
2.3
Study Unit 1C
3.
Once you have worked through all the presentations mentioned above, complete Quiz
1 on eFundi (Tests and Quizzes) before the deadline.