Elementary plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology (2+1)

Definition of Biotechnology

• Biotechnology has different meanings to different people. Some define biotechnology as the use and exploitation of microorganisms to produce products of industrial or commercial interest like beer brewing, cheese making, and production of sour milk. But is this the right definition for biotechnology? The answer is no, this is a narrow definition that can't describe biotechnology. the exploitation of genetically engineered microorganisms, centered on the technology of genetic engineering or recombinant DNA, constants modern biotechnology. So, in the light of the previous sentence, biotechnology is defined as the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide goods and services.


• Many different scientific fields are responsible for emergence of this biological revolution. They are biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, physiology, computer science and what not?
• Hence, a newer, refined, definition of biotechnology was offered by U.S. Office of Technology Assessment: "Any technique that uses living organisms to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific purposes."


• The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:
• "Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use."


• The ultimate goal of this course is to understand how those products of biotechnology are made and the scientific principles that underlie this revolution. This will also help you to assess the safety and merits of the various applications of this new technology. As with all new developments, there are many, some may think that this technology is dangerous. For some it is unethical or immoral to tamper with the genetic material, they believe this will lead to a loss of our own "genetic privacy", and that no one has the right to own and patent either organisms or genes. Others question the environmental consequences of these developments, that it will lead to the development of more potent pests, create new health problems because of allergens and toxins, and reduce biodiversity. Yet others question the socioeconomic consequences of biotechnology, for example the promotion of "corporate" farming, and the effects on less developed countries. We will examine these issues as we learn about the development of agricultural biotechnology.