biotechnology

• biotechnology is where living things and biological processes are used and manipulated to produce useful product
• mycoprotein- food from fungi
• using modern biotechnology techniques, large amounts of microorganisms can be cultured industrially under controlled conditions in large vats for use as food source
• mycoprotein is used to make high protein substitute for vegetarian meals like Quorn
• mycoprotein is made from the fungus fusarium, grown in aerobic conditions on glucose syrup
• the fungal biomass is harvested and purified to produce mycoprotein
• bacteria can be genetically engineered to make human insulin

  1. a plasmid is removed from a bacterium
  2. the insulin gene is cut out of a human chromosome using a restriction enzyme-these recognise specific sequences of DNA and cut the DNA strands with unpaired bases (sticky end)
  3. the plasmid is cut open using a restriction enzyme and the plasmid and human gene are mixed together
• 4. ligase is added, this joins the sticky ends together to produce recombinant DNA

  
  

  5. the recombinant DNA is inserted into a bacterium

  
  

  6. the modified bacterium is grown in a vat. end up with millions of bacteria that produce insulin, which is harvested and purified to treat people with diabetes
• GM crops can be produced which are resistant to pests to improve crop yield. Can be DM to survive in drought. Or provide more nutritional value
• not everyone agrees, people say they can't afford food not because it isn't about. countries may become dependent on companies selling GM crops. poor soil is the reason crops fail