Biotechnology Flashcards
What are the advantages of chemically changing food such as milk
It will last a lot longer
How do microorganisms change foods
They produce enzymes that change the molecules in the food into something else
What is definition of biotechnology
The alternation of biomolecues using science and engineering to provide goods and services
What is a bio molecule
A substance made by living organisms
What are fermenters, what do they do and why do we use them
Giant steel cylinders that grow microorganisms using the perfect conditions for them so the microorganism produce the substances we need such as the fungus penicillium which is used to make penecillin
How does a fermenter work
First it’s sterilised using high pressure steam
Everything else is sterilised and added so no other microorganism enters (aseptic precautions)
The conditions for the microorganisms are then created, nutrients are added (carbohydrates, nuctrogen, sugar, ammonium ions), optimum tempreture(so enzymes aren’t denatured), optimum pH for efficient enzymes, agitation (stirrer) to mix everything
What is mycoprotein and what makes it
A type of food made by a fungus called Fusarium and is used to make meat free proteins, quorn uses it to make its meat
How is quorn meat made
Fusarium is made in a fermenter and forms in strands (not stirred as this would break strands and tangle them)
These fibres are called hyphae
The hyphae is then heated to remove a bitter taste and then dried and pressed to make a meat like texture
Flavourings are added to make it like meat
Advantages of microorganism food such as mycoprotein over crops and farmed animals
Microorganism populations can double in as little as just 20minutes, lots faster that farmed foods
A lot easier to handle and manipulate
Grown in fermenters so take up less space than fields
Can be grown all over the world as external factors don’t affect it
Can often be grown using waste materials as their food source
Health benefits of mycoprotein
Unlike real meat, no saturated fats so better for the heart as less risk of clogged arteries
High fibre content reduces rate of glucose absorption so less insulin is suddenly needed which means type 2 diabetes is less likely
How are yoghourts mass
Bacterial such as lactobacillus bulgaricus is added to the milk. It is put into anaerobic conditions so the bacteria convert the lactose in the milk into lactic acid which makes yogurt.
What is an enzyme
A protein made by a living organism that acts as a catalyst to increase rate of reaction for chemical reactions needed to sustain life
What enzyme is good for sweet making and what does it do
The enzyme invertase converts sucrose sugar into glucose and fructose sugar. Glucose and fructose together is sweeter than sucrose so less of it is needed to make food sweet
How do enzymes help in washing powders
Lipases and proteases can be added to the power. Theses break down proteins in stains such as haemoglobin in blood stains and lipases can remove grease stains
What enzyme and is used in making cheese and what does it do
Chymosin an enzyme traditionally from a calves stomach is added to milk. This causes the milk to separate into liquids whey and curds. The curds are then pressed into cheese
What development in the 1980s made cheese making easier to produce and suitable for vegetarians
Yeast bacteria was genetically modified to produce chymosin. This made it easier to produce the enzyme in large, pure quantities without slaughtering the calves. This meant it was suitable for vegetarians. It is also a lot cheaper.
What is recombinant DNA technology
The technology used to make genetically modified organisms by recombining different types of DNA
Describe how recombinant DNA was used to make insulin in bacteria
Restriction enzymes removed the human insulin gene, leaving a few unpaired bases at each end, these are sticky ends.
Plasmid DNA is removed from bacteria and same restriction enzymes are used to cut it open, leaving sticky ends that pair up to those on the insulin gene
The insulin gene is stuck onto the plasmid DNA, joining them by the sticky ends. DNA ligase is added to join the plasmid DNA back into one continuous loop
The plasmid DNA is then inserted into the bacteria which is then grown in large fermenters where they will produce human insulin
How can immobilised enzyme beads be made
By mixing the enzyme with sodium alginate solution. Then add this mixture in drops into calcium chloride solution. This create insoluble calcium alginate beads that contain the enzyme within them
How do immobilised enzymes help adults drink milk
Immobilised lactase can be added to milk to break down be lactose into glucose. This means adults can drink it and digest it as adults are often lactose intolerant
What enzymes can be used to make juices and how do they do it
Pectinase and cellulase are used. Pectinase separates the plant cells from each other and cellulase breaks down the cellulose walls. This helps us extract more juice as we can get it from the cells as well.
Where is cellulase produced
In cow digestive system which allows them to digest grass
What is conventional breeding in plants and what do they do
It’s when a high yielding crop is bread with another high yielding varient of the same crop and the resulting seeds are sown. The highest yielding of these are then bread, this repeats for atleast 20 generations, resulting in a very high yielding crop which is then named and sold
What is integrated pest management
IPM is a method of stopping pests destroying crops using several control strategies at the same time
How are crops more resistant to viruses that kill the plant
Conventional breeding is used to make a crop that is more resistant to pathogens
How can crops such as raspberries be protected from pests that eat them using IPM
Then environment where the crop is grown is made attractive to predators that eat the pests so the crop isn’t eaten
Traps containing chemicals produced by the crop attract the pests and kill them such as by drowning them
Pesticides are sprayed onto the crop to kill the pest, but only if traps show there is a high number of them.
What is crop rotation and why is it good
It’s when a different crop is grown in the same field every year. This stops the build up of pests living in the soil that feed of a particular plant.
What are biofuels
Carbon neutral fuels grown from living organisms, mainly plants that can be grown quickly and are good replacement for fossil fuels
What is the main problem with biofuels
They take up a lot of land which could be used for growing food.
Benefits to purple gm tomato
The extra pigment that makes it purple contains lots of flavonoids which has been show to help reduce risk of cancer and help you live longer
What is a transgender if organism
An organism containing that has been genetically modified to contain the genetic material of another organism
What problem did gm crops cause Indian farmers
They bought the more expensive gm seeds hoping to get a better yield but they ended up growing less because the seeds weren’t adapted to the Indian climate and soil so the farmers became even poorer
How can plants be genetically modified using bacteria and name the bacteria used
The gene for the required characteristic is inserted into agrobacterium tumefaciens. This bacteria is then allowed to infect the plant that needs modifying. This means the plant cells now contain the genetic material from the bacteria.
What is BT toxin
A poison produced from bacillus thuringiensis that is poisonous to insects
Benefits and cons of BT toxin plants
When the plant is eaten by pests it releases BT toxin which kills the pest meaning less of the plant is eaten and lost resulting in higher yields. This also means less insecticide needs to be used which is better for the environment
Insects may become résiliant
Innocent insects may get killed
Bt gene may be spread to wild plants through pollinisation
