Microorganisms in biotechnology Flashcards
what is biotechnology
using living organisms or parts of living organisms in industrial processes could be to produce, food, drugs and other products
why are microoganisms used in biotechnology, what are the advantages
-faster production (bacteria divides rapidly)
-cheap and easy to grow
-production can take place at lower temps= less fuel costs
-microorganisms can be fed by-products from other food
-bacteria can be genetically modified easily
-fewer ethical considerations
-product is more pure= less process cost
describe examples of food production through biotechnology
-yoghurt= fermentation of lactose to produce lactic acid, involves lactobacillus (bacteria),
-cheese= fermentation of lactose to produce lactic acid (involves bacteria)
-bread = aneorobic respiration produces carbo n dioxide and alcohol (involves yeast)
-alcoholic beverages = aneorobic respiration produces co2 and alcohol
(involves yeast)
-single cell protein = respiration and growth of fungal cells= meat substitute for vegetarians, high fibre content, low in fat and no cholesterol (involves fungus)
what are advantages and disadvantages of using microogranisms to produce protein
-protein production faster than animal and plants
-no animal fat or cholesterol
no animal welfare issues
-taste and texture different to meat
-cultures could be contaminated with pathogenic organisms
-proteins must be purified
describe the use of biotechnology for enzymes
-making protease and lipase used in washing powders
-sucrase used to digest sugar to make food sweeter
describe how microobiology can be used for pharmaceutical drugs
-penicillin from penillium fungus
-other antibiotics
-insulin by genetically modified bacteria
, other therapeutic human proteins
desrcibe how cows can be used to produce human antibodies
-cow is genetically designed to produce human antibodies
-cow is vaccinated with target disease antigen
-produce specific human antibody
-antibodies are harvested from cows in the form of plasma
-purification, separating antibodies from plasma
-testing to ensure safety for human use
how can you scale up production of drugs
-fermenters can be used to culture huge number of microorganisms which can synthesis useful products such as penicillin or insulin
explain the different parts of a fermenter
1)motor- rotates blades inside to mix culture evenly
2)inlet to add nutrients
3) water jacket outlet = regulates temperature
4)electronic probes = for measuring O2, pH, and temp
5)air outlets = air bubbles out from outlets mixing with culture
6)outlet tap = for draining fermenter
7) mixing blades (impellers)
8)air inlet = sterile air provides O2 in aeorobic fermenters
9)pressure vent = prevents any gas build up
what conditions need to controlled in a fermenter and why
1) temperature = too hot, enzymes denature, too cold growth is limited
2) nutrient availability = nutrients needed for growth and to synthesis the product, carbon nitrogen, minerals and vitamins
3) oxygen availability = oxygen needed for aerobic respiration
4)pH = extreme pH affects enzymes and therefore growth and synthesis
5)concentration of product = build up of product may affect synthesis
why is asepsis (sterile conditions) important using fermenter
-important to prevent unwanted microorganisms from growing as they would compete for nutrients reducing yield of products, could produce toxic chemicals or destroy cultured organisms and their products
what is meant by batch culture and example?
-products made by microorganisms under stress i.e high population or limited nutrient(where there is competition)
-secondary metabolites
-e.g production of penicillin
explain continuous culture
-product made during normal metabolism when microorganisms are growing
-primary metabolites
-production of insulin
describe the production of penicillin
-secondary metabolite
-fermenter runs for 5-6 days culture filtered to remove cells
-antibiotic precipitated as crystals by adding potassium compounds- can be modified by other microorganisms or chemically
-antibiotic mixed with an inert substance and prepared for administration e.g tablet, syrup or injection
explain human insulin production
-human insulin DNA taken from human pancreas cell and plasmid DNA cut out by restriction enzyme from bacterium,
-recombinant DNA made joining both together
-recombinant DNA is introduced into a bacterial cell
-recombinant bacteria multiplies and produces human insulin in fermentation tank
-extraction and purification of human insulin
