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Biotechnology
Quarter 2- Module 2
Traditional Biotechnology
 Lesson Traditional Biotechnology
1
Techniques
Traditional biotechnology includes a range of techniques that have been traditionally
used by mankind to alter food and other substances. It refers to the traditional
techniques of using living organisms to yield new products or modify foods or other
useful products for human use. Without traditional biotech, there won't be modern
biotechnology. The early examples of biotechnology include breeding animals and crops
to make cheese/yogurt, bread, beer, and wine.

Traditional Techniques
Fermentation
Our early ancestors used microorganisms to make cheese, yogurt, and bread. They also
made alcoholic drinks like beer and wine. All of these foods and drinks are made by
fermentation. Fermentation is the process that many microorganisms (yeasts, molds,
and bacteria) use to convert sugars into energy. The products generated from
fermentation affect the nature of the food that the microorganism is in - carbon
dioxide causes bread to rise, lactic acid makes yogurt sour, and alcohol is produced in
the formation of beer and wine.
Fermentation was probably discovered by accident, and our early ancestors didn’t know
how it worked. Some societies thought fermentation was a miracle or gift from their god.
Louis Pasteur first described the scientific basis for fermentation in the late 1800s.
Pasteur’s hypothesis, called the germ theory, showed the existence of microorganisms
and their effect on fermentation. Pasteur’s work gave birth to many branches of science.

Traditional selection
This is another application that has been used by mankind over millennia. The farmer
examines a population of individuals that show variation for a specific trait. From these,
those that meet particular criteria are selected and kept aside to grow a new population
which is then maintained.

Selective Breeding

Early pioneers of selective breeding, mated

organisms with desirable traits to enhance
these traits in their offspring. Selective
breeding pioneers were manipulating
the genetic makeup of organisms, without
even realizing it.
Corn is a dramatic example of a plant that
has been enhanced by selective breeding to
become a better source of food. Early
teosinte plants (about 5000BC) had small

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1204-ancient-
biotechnology
cobs with few kernels, but by 1500AD, the corn cobs were more than 5 times the size
and packed full of sweet, juicy kernels.

Hybridization refers to the natural or

deliberate pollination between two plants. It
occurs all the time in the wild as many plants
are cross-pollinated and when the pollen from
one plant lands on the stigma of another
plant, and if fertilization is successful in
producing seed, then hybridization has
occurred.
Figure 1 Hybrid Ampalaya

The resulting seed will carry the two sets of genes from either parent and will be
similar, but not identical, to either parent. When cross-pollination is the norm for a
species then hybridization between plants of that species occurs frequently.
Hybridization is the process of producing a hybrid. A hybrid, in the general sense, is
any of mixed origin or composition, or the combination of two or more different things.

In reproductive biology, for instance, hybridization (also spelled hybridisation) refers to

the process of producing offspring by mating two parents from different varieties or
species. It is sometimes used synonymously with crossbreeding, which is defined as the
process or the act of producing offspring particularly through mating two purebred
individuals but come from different breeds or varieties, (sometimes, even species).
However, a hybrid, rather than a crossbreed, is more preferred for use to refer to plant
offspring, even produced through crossbreeding. Hybridization in plants is important
especially in agriculture wherein it is applied to come up with a hybrid crop that is both
hardy and disease-resistant. In animals, ligers (a hybrid offspring of a male lion and a
female tiger) and mules (a hybrid offspring of a female horse and a male donkey) are
examples of a hybrid.
Dog breeds are another example of selective breeding. There are more than 100 breeds
of dog, all resulting from selective breeding. Dogs were bred for specific jobs and to
enhance traits such as size, shape, agility, and color, resulting in breeds from the tiny
Chihuahua to the Great Dane.

Selective breeding is the traditional method for

improving crops and livestock, such as
increasing disease resistance or milk yield.

New varieties
Natural selection and selective breeding can
both cause changes in animals and plants.
The difference between the two is that natural
selection happens naturally, but selective
Figure 2 All of these breeds of dogs are the result of selective
breeding from a common ancestor breeding only occurs when humans intervene.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6trd2p/revis For this reason, selective breeding is
ion/3 sometimes called artificial selection.
Different varieties of plants and animals with
desired characteristics can be developed by selective breeding. For example:
•cows that produce lots of milk
•chickens that produce large eggs
•wheat plants that produce lots of grain
The new varieties may be economically important. For example, they may provide more
or better quality food to feed people.
Main steps involved
Selective breeding takes place over many generations. These are the main steps involved:
1. Decide which characteristics are important enough to select
2. Choose parents that show these characteristics
3. Choose the best offspring from parents to produce the next generation
4. Repeat the process continuously

Figure 3 The Friesian cow is a dairy breed Figure 4 The Aberdeen Angus bull is bred for beef