Food Biotechnology Flashcards
What is food biotechnology?
Food biotechnology refers to the use of advanced scientific techniques to improve food production, quality, safety, and sustainability. It involves using biotechnological solutions to address challenges while raising questions and concerns about the security, benefits, and ethical implications of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production.
What are some uses of food biotechnology?
- cross-breeding,
- Genetically Modified Organisms,
- the use of microbes in agriculture (such as Rhizobium),
- production of microbial products,
- molecular diagnostics using PCR and monoclonal antibodies for rapid identification of food contamination.
What are some problems concerning food security?
- foodborne illnesses,
- reliance on fossil fuels for the production of herbicides and pesticides,
- decrease in arable land for food production,
- increase in population putting strain on food production,
- issues of malnutrition and hunger.
What are some biotechnological solutions to address food security challenges?
Biotechnological solutions include:
- molecular diagnostics for the identification of food contamination and pathogens,
- reducing reliance on pesticides through recombinant DNA technology,
- generation of herbicide-resistant GMOs to reduce loss of arable land,
-production of fortified foods to combat malnutrition,
- the use of recombinant microbes for food development and safety.
What are some contributions of biotech crops to food security, sustainability, and climate change solutions?
Biotech crops contribute to increased crop productivity, conservation of biodiversity, reduced CO2 emissions, provision of a better environment, and alleviation of poverty and hunger.
What are some benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops?
- increased productivity for ethanol and biodiesel production,
- improved global food security through increased crop yields,
- economic impact with increased farmer profits,
- health and social benefits,
- conservation of biodiversity through soil conservation,
- mitigation of climate change by reducing the usage of chemical pesticides and herbicides.
What are some examples of GM crops?
maize, soybeans, cotton, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets, papaya, squash, eggplant, potatoes, and apples.
What benefit do GM potatoes offer?
Reduced acrylamide in potatoes, which is a neurotoxin formed at high temperatures
What are the overall benefits of GM crops?
- improved nutritional content,
- increased resistance to pests
- diseases, and enhanced crop yield.
What are some controversies surrounding GMOs?
- concerns about their safety to humans and the environment,
- adequacy of testing,
- suspicions about commercial and industrial entities benefiting the most, 4. potential exploitation of local producers,
- lack of information among consumers about the risks and benefits of GMOs.
What are some non-controversial examples of food biotechnology?
- The use of recombinant chymosin in cheese production,
- Xanthan gum in salad dressing,
- production of ethanol by microbes,
- diagnostics biotechnology for food contamination identification,
- insulin production for medical purposes.
Why is the production, processing, and distribution of food crucial to food security?
They ensure that enough food is available and accessible to meet the nutritional needs of a population, which is essential for their well-being and survival.
Why is food security a critical part of every nation’s economy and political security?
Because it affects the stability and welfare of the population. When people have access to sufficient and nutritious food, it promotes economic productivity, social stability, and political security. On the other hand, food insecurity can lead to social unrest, economic instability, and political tensions.
Why is food security often low in poor and developing nations?
Food security is often low in poor and developing nations due to several factors, such as:
1. lack of resources to buy food,
2. food unavailability,
3. limited access to markets,
4. inadequate infrastructure for food production and distribution,
5. political and economic instability.
How can biotechnology improve food security?
Development of transgenic plants with decreased production costs,
Increased nutrition, and other desired traits such as resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses.
Better diagnostic systems for early detection and management of crop diseases, leading to improved crop yield and food production.
What is the role of lactic acid bacteria in cheese manufacture?
Lactic acid bacteria in the starter culture ferment carbohydrates to produce lactic acid, which helps in the fermentation process and contributes to the flavour and texture of the cheese.
What causes coagulation of casein and results in soft cheese?
In the absence of chymosin, decreased pH (due to lactic acid production) causes coagulation of casein, resulting in a soft cheese, such as cottage cheese.
What is required to produce hard cheese?
To produce a hard cheese, chymosin is required, as it increases coagulation by cleaving the casein at specific amino acids that are attached to carbohydrates, resulting in a firmer curd.
Why was the supply and purity of chymosin from traditional rennet unreliable?
Traditional rennet, which was sourced from the stomach of slaughtered cows, had issues with supply and purity, making it unreliable for commercial production of chymosin due to limitations in availability, consistency, and quality control.
How is chymosin produced commercially for cheese manufacturing?
To produce chymosin commercially, the gene for chymosin is cloned into a microorganism that can be grown on a large scale at a low cost, allowing for consistent and reliable production of the enzyme for cheese manufacturing.
What is the role of preprochymosin in chymosin production?
Preprochymosin is the inactive form of chymosin and serves as a signal protein portion (“pre”) that is secreted. The signal portion is then removed to form prochymosin, which undergoes autolysis to become active chymosin, a protease enzyme used in cheese production.
What is a common problem when transferring eukaryotic genes to prokaryotes for protein production?
The protein may not be secreted from the cells and instead form clumps of inclusion bodies, which can be insoluble and difficult to purify, resulting in low yields and increased cost.
What is electroporation?
Electroporation is a technique used to introduce foreign DNA into cells by applying an electric field, which temporarily disrupts the cell membrane and allows the DNA to enter the cell.
What was the purpose of recloning the chymosin gene into a yeast episomal plasmid (Yep)?
The recloning of the chymosin gene into the yeast episomal plasmid (Yep) was an attempt to improve the production of chymosin by transferring the gene into a different host organism (yeast) that may have better secretion and protein production capabilities.
What is the purpose of a secretion vector in gene cloning?
A secretion vector is used to allow the protein to be secreted from the cell, which can improve the yield and ease of protein purification, as compared to intracellular expression.
Why was the production of chymosin from the yeast secretion vector partially successful?
While a large portion of the chymosin was secreted from the yeast cells, the yield was low, and the production of the protein was not cost-effective, possibly due to limitations in the secretion system or other factors.
