Lecture 1

Introduction to Biotechnology
Exploitation or application of biological systems

(microbial, animal or plant cells or enzymes) to
gain a useful product or service.
It mainly depends upon the expertise of
biological systems in recognition and catalysis.
Microorganism
Biological system
Substrate
Raw materials Product
Specific conditions
Multi-disciplinary
Microbiology Biochemistry Genetics
Electronics and
Biotechnology Food Technology
Computer Sciences
Biochemical Chemical Mechanical

Engineering Engineering Engineering
It should be well recognized that the success

in this art depends on economic criteria.
Historical background
• Ancient Egyptians
• Louis Pasteur who in the late 19th century
• In the early decades of the 20th century, large
scale processes of lactic acid, acetone, butanol,
ethanol, amylases and proteases and riboflavin
were also developed.
• In 1914 activated sludge was developed
• One of the early strategic examples of modern
products was the production of glycerol,
Sugar (glucose)
Fructose 1,6 diphosphate
Dihydroxyacetone-P 3-Phosphoglyceraldehyde
Embeden-Meyerhoff
pathway
Glycerol
NADH
Pyruvate
NAD
Ethanol Acetaledehyde
Normal route
Sodium bisulfite
Acetaldehyde bisulfite
addition complex
•In 1940 Antibiotics
• In 1980 Genetically engineered
products or Rec DNA products
• And hence the word biotechnology
Recent developments in Biotechnology
Category Examples
1- Medicine - Production of antibiotics, steroids, monoclonal
antibodies, vaccines, gene therapy, recombinant DNA
technology drugs and improving diagnosis by
enzymes and enzyme sensors.
2- Agriculture - Plant tissue culture, protoplast fusion, introduction of
foreign genes into plants and nitrogen fixation.
3- Chemicals - Organic acids (citric, gluconic), mineral extraction.
4- Environment - Improvement of waste treatment, replacement of
chemical insecticides by biological ones and
biodegradation of xenobiotics.
5- Food - Single cell protein (SCP), use of enzymes in food
processing and food preservation.
6- Industry - Use of enzymes in detergent industry, textile and
energy production
Microorganism
Biological system
Substrate
Raw materials Product
Specific conditions
Cultures: (microbial, animal and plant)
Microbial cultures
• Microbial cultures are either obtained from culture
collections e.g. American type culture collection (ATCC) or
usually isolated (from soil, air ….etc.) by enrichment
technique (maintain conditions that favor isolation of the
required microorganism).
• In industry, microorganisms act like chemical factories.
Those ones intended to be used in industry should be:
• 1-Should be pure culture i.e. not contaminated with other
species or low producing strains.
• 2-Produce a large amount of the required product.
• 3-Easily cultivated and maintained.
• 4-Be genetically stable (low rate of mutation).
• 5-Grow rapidly on inexpensive and readily available media.
• 6-Produce the desired product under workable conditions
(pH, O2 temperature,….etc.).
Culture maintenance
• Lyophilization (freeze drying): This is the best

and most commonly used one.
• Storage under liquid nitrogen (at – 150oC): kep
in special tanks containing liquid nitrogen.
• Storage in glycerol at – 70oC in deep freezers.
• Storage on agar slopes at – 4oC
• Soil culture:
Raw materials (substrates) used for the growth
and production in biotechnology
• Raw materials to be used for the cultivation of
microorganisms in industry should be locally available
(in nature or by-products from other industries).
• They must provide the required carbon, nitrogen, trace
metals and energy source required by the
microorganism. The raw materials should also
provide the required precursor for the end product.
• The choice of the raw material for a given process
depends on the process, production costs and
availability of the raw material.
• In production of benzyl penicillin, the use of corn steep
liquor has the advantage of providing the precursor of
benzyl group side chain. If corn steep liquor is not
used, a mixture of natural penicillins is produced.
Characters of raw materials
1. Produce maximum yield of the product per gram
substrate used.
2. Cheap and available 1ocally throughout the year.
3. Causes minimal problems during the fermentation,
product separation and waste disposal.
4. Of definite composition and easily processed.
5. Easily transported and sterilized.
Starch and cellulose as substrate

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Lecture 1

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Introduction to Biotechnology

Exploitation or application of biological systems

Biochemical Chemical Mechanical

It should be well recognized that the success

Fructose 1,6 diphosphate

• Lyophilization (freeze drying): This is the best

Starch and cellulose as substrate

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