To All Students of Stream Natural Science Grade 12 of Gangoa Secondary School First Of All,

God’s Peace Be Upon You.

I will be unable to attend school from 27-30/01/2017 E.C due to social problems, so please stay
tuned for reading this 12 grade biology handout.

Mr. Dejene Hailu

Application of Biotechnology
What is Biotechnology?
It is the application of technologies that involves the use of living organisms, or their products for
the development of product that benefits humans.
GMOs (Transgenic organisms) have received genetic materials via recombinant DNA technology.
Transgene:-is a gene that introduced into a species from another species.
Biotechnology also can be used in:-
 Crops modification to make them more suitable
 Prevention and mitigation of contamination from industrial, agricultural and municipal wastes.
 Diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
1- Application of biology for food processing and production
It involves the increasing of food productivity using microorganisms. For example:
a. Single celled protein (SCP)
 It produced from waste materials such as molasses from sugar refining, Petroleum by-product,
and agricultural wastes.
b. Pruteen (animal feeds)
Is produced by mass culture of the bacterium Methylophilus methylotrophus
c. Mycoprotein
Is Protein from fungus
Is made from fungus Fusarium venenatum
Is meat substitutes for humans consumption
d. Spirulina(spiral shaped cyanobacterium)
Is harvested from the surface of lakes and ponds
Has become a viable alternative to green plants as a primary nutrient source.
Can be eaten in its natural form or added to other foods and beverages.
e. Vitamins are also produced
Vit. C was the first to be produced during a fermentation processes by bacteria
Vit. B12(cyanocobalamin) & Vit B2 (Riboflavin) were obtained from animal liver extract
But, now a days the production of vitamin B12 involved fermentation by Propionic bacteria.
f. Dairy products
MOs are used in making a wide variety of dairy products
For example
Cultured butter milk:- is made by adding Streptococus cremoris to pasteurized skim milk and allowing
fermentation to occur and other Streptococus lactis, S. diacetylactis, and leuconostoc citrovotrum,L.
cremoris, or L. dextranicum make butter milk with different falvor.
Sour cream:-is made by adding one of these organisms to cream.
Yoghurt:- is made by adding Streptococus thermophiles and Lactobacillus bulgaricus to milk.
These different bacteria give different texture and flavor.
g. Fermented meats
  Microbes such as Lactobacillus plantarum and pediococus cerevisiea add flavor by fermenting
meats such as:
Salami:- produced by mixing of spice &salt
Summer sausage:- fermented & dried or smoked
Lebanon Bologna:-semi-dried beef, smoked and fermented
 The heterolactic acid fermentation helps preserve the meat and also gives a tangy flavor.
Self-test questions
Match the following items
A B
1. Pruteen A. Lactobacillus plantarum
2. Mycoprotein B. Methlophilus methylotrophus
3. Vit. B12 C. Fusarium venenatum
4. Butter milk D. Streptococus thermophilus
5. Yoghurt E. Propionic bacteria
6. Fermented meats F. Streptococus cremoris
h. Production of beer, wine and spirits
 Beer and wine are made by fermenting sugary juice
 Spirit such as whisky, gin, and rum are made by fermenting juices and distilling the fermented
products
 Strain of saccharomyces are the fermenters all alcoholic beverages.
? How to make Beer?
Barley are malted (partially germinated)- to increase the concentration of starch digesting enzymes
that provide the sugar fermentation.
Malted gain is crushed and mixed with water (about 650C) Producing Mash
Wort (liquid extract) is separated from the mix- the most important being maltose
Hops(Flower cones from the hop plant) are added to the wort for flavoring.
The mixture is boiled to stop enzyme action and precipitate proteins
A strain of saccharomyces is added and fermentation produces ethyl alcohol, CO2 and other
substances (amyl and iso amyl alcohols and acetic and butyric acids) which added to the flavor
of the beer.
After fermentation, the yeast is removed and the beer is filtered, pasteurized and bottled.
Wine:-is made from juice extracted from Grapes & it can be made from any other fruits and even
from nuts or dandelion blossoms
Juice is treated with SO2 to kill any wild yeasts
Sugar and a strain of Saccharomyces are then added and fermentation proceeds
Fermentation products similar to those in the beer added to the flavor of the wine
Liquid wine is siphoned to separate it from yeast sediment &
If necessary cleaned with agents such as charcoal to remove suspended particles
Finally, It is bottled and aged in a cool place
Spirits:- are made from the fermentation of a variety of foods, including:
 Malted barley Scotch whisky
 Rye rye whisky, Gin
 Corn bourbon
 Wine or fruit Juice Brandy
 Potatoes Vodka
 Molasses rum
 After fermentation distilling separates alcohol and other volatile substances that impart flavor from
the solid nonvolatile substances
 Because of distillation the alcohol content of the spirits ranges from 40-50% much higher than the
typical 12% for wine and 6% for beer.
i. Bread making
MOs accomplish three functions in bread making
1. Leaving the flour-based dough
2. Imparting flavor and odor
3. Conditioning the dough to make it workable
 Leaving is achieved primarily through the release of gas to produce a porous and spongy products
 Without leaving, bread dough remains dense, flat and hard
 The most common microbes used are various strains of the baker’s yeast –saccharomyces cerevisiea
 Other gas forming microbes such as coliform bacteria,certain clostridium species,
heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria, and wild yeasts can be employed depending on the type
of bread desired.
 Yeast respires aerobically in bread dough and produce CO2 & H2O
 Kneading and microbial enzymes also contribute to bread texture,
 Kneading incorporates air in to the dough
 Microbial enzymes breakdown flour protein (gluten) and gives the dough elasticity
 Bread fermentation generate other volatile organic acids and alcohol that impart delicate flavors
and aromas
 Yeast & bacteria can also impart unique flavor, depending upon the culture mixture and baking
techniques used. Example
 The pungent flavor of rye bread comes from in part from starter cultures of lactic acid
bacteria such as Lactobacillus plantarum L. brevis, L.bulgaricus,Leuconostoc
mesenteriods and Streptococus thermophiles
 Sour dough bread gets its unique tang from Lactobacillus sanfransisc