HISTORY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

AGAWA, NURSAIN S.
BSA-Crop Science-4
History of Biotechnology

The term “biotechnology” was coined in 1919 by Karl Ereky an Hungarian

engineer. But humans have used Biotechnology since the dawn of civilization. But
before we discuss the history of biotechnology let us define what biotechnology is first.
Biotechnology is a broad area of biology, involving the use of living systems and
organisms to develop or make products. Depending on the tools and applications, it
is often overlaps with related scientific fields. For example are the yeast microbes that
had been asleep for more than 5,000 years, buried deep in the pores of Egyptian
ceramic, by the time Seamus Blackley came along and used them to bake loaf of bread.
The Chinese revealed that a mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey, and fruit
was being produced as early as the seventh millennium. And by the time being this
methods also applied in many ways and fields like in Agriculture. Have you ever
wondered where our agricultural crops came from? And what were they like thousands
of years ago or hundreds of years ago? About 10,000 B.C. people harvested their food
from the natural biological diversity that surrounded them, and eventually domesticated
crops and animals. During the process of domestication, people began to select better
plants materials for propagation and animals for breeding, initially unwittingly but
ultimately with the intentions of developing improved foods crops and livestock.

When it was first introduced, biotechnology was predominantly used in medicine

to research and produce pharmaceutical and diagnostic products that help in preventing
and curing diseases. Years of research indicate that agricultural biotechnology is a safe
and beneficial technology that plays a big role in promoting economic and
environmental sustainability. Genitically modified crops and food have been the main
areas of focus for this technology. However agro-biotechnology is still producing a
variety of other products that offer innumerable benefits to the global population.

For example:
1. Vaccine. New vaccines employing green biotechnology innovations are changing the
process of preventing illness, particularly in developing countries. Foods such as fruits,
grains, vegetables are engineered to carry antigenic proteins which are extracted from
pathogens. When injected these antigens trigger an immune boost the resistance of the
body against the pathogens.

2. Plant and Animal Reproduction Agro-biotech has made it possible to enhance

plant and animals traits on molecular level through over expression or gene removal, or
the introduction of foreign genes.

3. Antibiotics agricultural biotechnology is applied in the production of antibiotics for

both human and animals.

4. Nutritional Supplement in a bid to promote better human health globally, scientist

have come up with ways to create genitically modified foods with nutrients that can help
fight disease and starvation.

5. Pesticide –Resistant Crops in the past farmers have incurred significant losses due
to the use of pesticides that affect both crops and weeds. These are just some example
of the products made by agricultural biotechnology.

Nowadays, The development of the technologies of human being are rapid

involving as well as the biotechnology, so we are hoping to see more improvements in
the near future.
Relationship to Plant Breeding

AQUINO, JOSEPHINE J.
BSA-Crop Science-4
 "RELATIONSHIP OF PLANT BREEDING"

Classical plant breeding uses deliberate interbreeding (crossing) of closely or

distantly related individuals to produce new crop varieties or lines with desirable
properties. Plants are crossbred to introduce traits/genes from one variety or line into a
new genetic background.

General Definition

Plants are improved for food, feed, fiber, fuel, shelter, landscaping, eco-systems
services and a variety of other human activities.

Plant breeding uses principles from a variety of sciences to improve the genetic
potential of plants. The process involves combining parental plants to obtain the next
generation with the best characteristics.

Breeders improve plants by selecting those with the greatest potential based on
performance data, pedigree, and more sophisticated genetic information.

Simplest Definition

Plant breeding is crossing two plants to produce offspring that, ideally, share the best
characteristics of the two parent plants. Throughout the history of civilization, plant
breeding has helped farmers solve complex challenges while also appeasing the
appetites of consumers.

Most of the fruits and vegetables we eat today are the result of generations of
plant breeding. In fact, some of the most popular fruits and vegetables originated from
plants that would be almost unidentifiable now.
Examples:
IMPORTANCE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

BALDERAMA, REYMOND F.
BSA-Crop Science-4
 IMPORATNCE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

Biotechnology is controlled use of biological agents for beneficial use.

Biotechnology has already begun to change traditional industries such as food
processing and fermentation. It is integrated use of biochemistry, molecular biology,
microbiology to achieve technological application of the capabilities of biological agents.
Therefore, biotechnology has emerged as a science with immense potential for human
welfare ranging from human health to environment protection. The importance of this
field of science in different streams will be evident from following examples;

Biotechnology in Medicine

Production of monoclonal antibody, DNA, RNA probes for diagnosis of various

diseases; valuable drugs like insulin and interferon have been synthesized by
bacteria for treatment of human diseases. DNA fingerprinting is utilized for
identification of parents and criminals. Development of recombinant vaccines like
human hepatitis B etc. by genetically engineered microbes includes the list of
potable achievements.

Biotechnology in Agriculture

In agriculture, plant cell, tissue and organ culture is used for rapid and economic
clonal multiplication of fruit and forest trees, for production of virus free genetic
stocks and planting materials as well as in the creation of novel genetic variation
through soma-clonal variation. Genetic engineering techniques are utilized to
produce transgenic plants with desirable genes like disease resistance, herbicide
resistance, increased shelf life of fruits etc.

Biotechnology in Environment

Biotechnology provides clean air, water and green products. New environmental
biotechnology advances are helping to make a cleaner environment and more
efficient by reducing toxic chemical pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Biotechnology in Industry

Biotechnology provides tools for adapting modifying the biological organisms,

products, processes and systems found in nature to develop processes that are eco-
efficient and products that are not only more profitable but also more environment
friendly. Biotech is creating biodegradable plastics made from renewable sources.
Algae do not compete with food production and can be transformable into a variety of
renewable fuels, including biodiesel, cooking oil and jet fuel.

Biotechnology in Waste Industry

Biotechnological processes are used for wastewater treatment, gas treatment

and disposal of solid wastes in environmental engineering. Also, these processes can
be utilized for the production of biogas and hydrogen as new energy resources

Biotechnology in Sea Resources

Marine biotechnology is key to realizing the potential of marine bio-resources, a

potential that until now remains largely untapped. These resources could produce new
products and processes, and help address the global challenges of food, energy, and
health.
Extent of Adoption

BANDAL, JENELYN C.

BSA-Crop Science-4
Extent of Adoption

 Adoption refers to how the farmers acquire and eventually apply the knowledge
and practices pertaining to the planting of biotech product.
 Uptake pathway refers to the process that captures how the biotech crop is
introduced, adopted, disseminated, and shared by the farmers to other.
 Plant biotechnology has been adopted at higher rate than any other agricultural
practice in history.
 In 2013, biotech crop varieties were grown by 18 million farmers on 170
hectares, including 19 in the developing countries.
 Korea has developed into one of the world’s foremost technology superpowers. It
has long used bioengineered materials in manufacturing cosmetics and medical
products.
 Active research is being carried out to develop new varieties of environmental
stress and pest resistant rice, viral tolerant red peppers, and a number of other
crops.
 Biotechnology is the use of biological systems found in organisms or the use of
the living organisms themselves to make technological advances and adapt
those technologies to various fields.
 These include applications in multiple fields, from agricultural practice to
the medical sector.
 It does not only include applications in fields that involve the living but also
any other field where the information obtained from the biological aspect
of an organism can be applied.

Types of Biotechnology

1) Medical Biotechnology
- Medical biotechnology is the use of living cells and other cell materials to
better the health of humans. The technique is used to produce
pharmaceutical drugs as well as other chemicals to combat disease. It heavily
involves the study of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) to get to know how to
 manipulate the genetic makeup of cells to increase the production of
beneficial characteristics that humans might find useful, such as the
production of insulin.
Example of Medical Biotechnology
a) Vaccines – are chemicals that stimulate the body’s immune system to
better fight pathogens when they attack the body. They achieved this
by inserting attenuated (weakened) version of the disease into the
body’s bloodstream.
b) Antibiotics – strides have been made in the development of
antibiotics that combat pathogens for humans. Many plants are grown
and genetically engineered to produce the antibodies.

2) Agricultural Biotechnology
- Agricultural biotechnology focuses on developing genetically modified plants
to increase crop yields or introduce characteristics to those plants that provide
them with an advantage growing in regions that place some kind of stress
factor on the plant, namely weather, and pest.
- In some of the cases, the practice involves scientists identifying a
characteristic, finding the gene that causes it, and then putting that gene with
another plant so that it gains desirable characteristics, making it more durable
or having it produce larger yields that it previously did.
Example of Agricultural Biotechnology
a) Pest resistant Crops – biotechnology has provided techniques for the
creation of crops that express anti-pest characteristics naturally,
making them very resistant to pests, as opposed to having to keep
dusting them and spraying with pesticides.
 Bt Soybean – soybean is the oil crop of greatest economic
relevance in the world. Its beans contain proportionally more
essential amino acids than meat, thus making it of the most

important food crops today.

 Herbicide tolerant soybean – herbicide tolerant soybean varieties
contain gene that provides resistance to one of two broad spectrum
herbicides. This modified soybean provides better weed control,
reduces crop injury and improves yield.
 Insect resistance soybean – this Bt soybean exhibits resistance
to lepidopteran pests through the production of Cry1Ac protein.
Insect resistant soybean was developed to reduced or replace high
insecticide application and at the same time maintain soybean yield
potential.

 Bt Maize – maize is one of the three most important grains of the

world. It is used as livestock feeds, processed as cooking oil and
food additives, and currently and feedstocks for biofuels.
 Herbicide-tolerant maize – these maize variety work in a similar
manner as herbicide-tolerant soybean. They allow growers better
flexibility in using certain herbicides to control weeds that can
damage crops.
 Insect resistant maize – this modified maize contains built-in
insecticidal protein from a naturally occurring soil microorganism
(Bacillus thuringiensis) that gives maize plant season-long
protection from corn borers. This means most farmers do not have
to spray insecticide to protect maize from harmful pests.

 Bt Rice – rice is life for more than half of humanity. It is the staple

food for over 3 billion people, more than 90% of whom are Asians.
 Herbicide-tolerant rice – they contain gene that provides
resistance to one of two broad spectrums, and environmentally
benign herbicide.

 Bt Tomato

 Delayed-ripening tomato – the delayed-ripening of tomato

became the first genetically modified crop to be produced in a
 developed country. These tomatoes spend more days on the vine
than other tomatoes, thus resulting in better flavor.

 Bt Cotton

 Herbicide-tolerant cotton – This modified cotton provides better

weed control, reduces crop injury and improves yield.
 Insect-resistance cotton – it contains a protein that provides the
plant with season-long protection from budworms and bollworms.

 Bt Potato

 Insect-resistance potato – it contains a protein that provides the

plant with built-in protection from the Colorado potato beetle.
 Virus resistant potato – several potato varieties has been
modified to resist potato leafroll virus (PLRV) and potato virus Y
(PVY). Virus resistance often results in reduced insecticide use.
 Bt Papaya

 Virus-resistance papaya – this Hawaiian-developed papaya

contains a viral gene that encodes for the coat protein of papaya
ringspot virus (PRSV). This protein provides yhe papaya with built-
in protection against PRSV.

 Bt Squash

 Virus resistant squash – a biotech yellow crookneck squash now

able to resist watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and zucchini yellow
mosaic virus (ZYMV).
  Bt Sugar Beet

 Herbicide tolerant sugar beet – In 2018, an herbicide tolerant

sugar beet variety was planted in Canada and USA for the first
time. This allows farmers to cut the number of cultivations by half.
b) Animal Breeding - selective breeding has been a practice humans
have engaged in since farming system began. The practice involves
choosing the animals with the most desirable characteristics to breed with
each other so that the resulting offspring would also express these traits.

3) Industrial Biotechnology – industrial biotechnology is the application for

industrial purposes that include industrial fermentation. Applying the techniques
of modern molecular biology, it improves efficiency and reduces the multifaceted
environmental impacts of industrial processes including paper and pulp, chemical
manufacturing, and textile.
Example of Industrial Biotechnology
a) Biocatalysts – have been developed by industrial biotechnology
companies such as enzymes, to synthesize chemicals. The desired
enzymes can be manufactured in commercial quantities using
biotechnology.
b) Fermentation – the crop’s sugar can be fermented to acid, which can
then be used as an intermediate to produce other chemical feedstock
 for various products. Some plants, such as corn, can be used in place
of petroleum to produce chemicals.
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c) Microorganisms – microorganisms find their use in chemical
production for the design and manufacture of new plastics/textiles and
the development of new sustainable energy sources such as biofuels.

4) Environmental Biotechnology - Environmental biotechnology is the technology

used in waste treatment and pollution prevention that can more efficiently clean
up many wastes compared to conventional methods and significantly reduce our
dependence on methods for land-based disposal.
Example of Environmental Biotechnology
a) Bioremediation – refers to the application of biotechnical methods
which help in developing enzymes bioreactors that will only pretreat
some industrial and food waste components but also allow their
efficient removal via sewage system without using solid waste disposal
mechanisms.
Review of Products Currently
Used

BULANTE, KAREN D.
BSA-Crop Science-4
 Biotechnology Products Currently Used

1. Biofuels
Biofuels are derived from biomass like plant, animal waste, and algae
material. Biofuels act as a renewable source of energy and are environmental
friendly as they prevent greenhouse gas emission. Examples of biofuel are
ethanol, biodiesel, and biogas.
 Bioethanol
Ethanol is a colourless liquid biofuel produced by the fermentation of
starch present in crops like maize, sugarcane etc. In US, 10 % ethanol is
used in blend with gasoline to form ‘gasohol,’ a mixture of petrol and ethanol
used as fuel in internal combustion engines.

 Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a domestically produced biofuel manufactured from
vegetable oils, animal fats, etc. It helps in clean-burning of fuel and acts as
renewable substitute for petroleum diesel. Using biodiesel in vehicles reduces
environmental pollution, thus it improves air quality
  Biogas
Biogas is produced by degradation of agriculture, plant and animal
wastes, and sewage or municipal waste, by certain bacteria called
methanogens. Biogas is a renewable source of energy, and it is a mixture of
gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and others. Biogas is mostly used in
rural areas for cooking, and in compressed form, it can be used as vehicle
fuel.

2. Dairy Products
Biotechnology has a wide application in dairy, and we owe to biotechlogy for
our favourite dairy products like cheese and yogurt. Cheese is formed by lactic
acid fermentation of milk.

3. Bakery Products
Bread is one of the most common foods consumed by human in everyday
life. Bread is formed by making dough using flour, water, yeast and sugar. Yeast
is a type of fungus, which feeds on sugar for energy. Saccharomyces cerevisiae
is the yeast species that is used to make bread, it is also known as baker’s yeast.
4. Lactose-free Milk
Lactose is a sugar naturally present in milk. Lactose breaks down in our gut
by the enzyme lactase. Some people cannot digest lactose and are lactose
intolerant as they lack the enzyme lactase in their body. Biotechnology provided
the lactose free milk. Such milk is pre-treated with lactase enzyme. This causes
lactose to breakdown into glucose and galactose which are more soluble in water
than lactose and can be easily absorbed by the gut.

5. Alcohol Production
Biotechnological process alcoholic fermentation, achieved by certain
bacteria and yeast, is widely used to produce alcohols. Wines are formed
through the fermentation of grapes (Vitis vinifera).

6. Skin Care Products

Biotechnology has played an important role in cosmetology and aesthetic
medicines. Botox is one of the prominent examples of biotechnology products in
everyday life. Botox is a protein produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.
It paralyzes nerve cells, thereby reducing the wrinkles on face.
7. Detergent enzymes
Conventional detergents have been over shadowed by detergent enzymes,
a product of biotechnology. These detergents contain enzymes like proteases,
lipases, and amylases, which help in removing the stains of blood, oil, etc.

8. Genetically Modified (GM) Crops

Biotechnology plays an important role in improving natural fibres like cotton,
wool silk, etc. It also helps in improving yield and quality of crops production by
making pest or herbicides resistant crops. Genetically modified foods are
produced by introducing changes in their DNA by genetic engineering. Some
examples of GM food are Bt crops, golden rice, etc.
 Bt Crops
Bt crops are genetically modified to contain a specific gene of a
bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This gene leads to the formation of a
toxin in the leaves. When a pest feeds on Bt crops, the toxin (Cry protein)
present in plant cells crystallizes the pest’s digestive system and kills the
pest. Examples of BT crops are corn and cotton.
  Golden Rice
Golden rice is genetically altered variety of rice (Oryza sativa). In this,
multi-gene biochemical pathway is integrated in the genome of rice through
genetic engineering. This pathway results in the production of beta-carotene,
a precursor of vitamin A. When metabolized by humans, it produces vitamin
A. Golden rice has been engineered to overcome vitamin A deficiency in
developing countries.

9. Dye Manufacturing
Shikonin is an example of naturally occurring naphthoquinone. They are
used as natural colorants in cosmetic, food, and textile industries. Biotechnology
also helps in the production of anthraquinone dyes. These dyes can be extracted
from various fungi like trichoderma, aspergillus, and curvularia strains.
10. Paper Industry
Paper is formed by extracting cellulose from woods and converting it into
pulp. The purpose of pulping is to free the cellulose fibres from lignin and other
impurities present in the wood. Biotechnology allows the pulping of cellulose by a
specific lignin degrading fungi, this method of pulping is called biopulping. Pulps
are usually brown in colour due to the presence of lignin, and to make them
lighter in colour, biobleaching is done. Biobleaching is cost effective and prevents
the formation of harmful by products. It also improves the texture and strength of
paper.

11. Production of Antibiotics

Antibiotics are one of the very common examples of biotechnology products.
They are non-protein molecules produced by microorganism that live in the soil.
Antibiotics are produced as secondary metabolites by many species of bacteria
such as Streptomyces, Bacillus, and Penicillium (fungi). Antibiotics play an
important role in combating infectious diseases in humans and animals. Soil
microorganisms ate the main source for the production of antibiotics.
12. Vaccine Production
Biotechnology has played a significant role in production of vaccines against
various deadly diseases. Vaccines are made of dead or inactive pathogens, one
of its surface proteins or toxins produced by pathogens. Vaccination triggers our
immune system, resulting in the production of antibodies. These antibodies
circulate in blood for a long time as memory antibodies, and if the said pathogen
invades in future, the memory antibodies fight against it.