BIOTECHNOLOGY

Preface xi The nature of biotechnology 1 (18) Introduction 1 (1) What is biotechnology? 2 (4) Biotechnology: an interdisciplinary pursuit 6 (7) Biotechnology: a three-component central core 13 (2) Product safety 15 (2) Public perception of biotechnology 17 (1) Biotechnology and the developing world 17 (2) Biomass: a biotechnology substrate? 19 (10) A biomass strategy 19 (2) Natural raw materials 21 (2) Availability of by-products 23 (2) Raw materials and the future of biotechnology 25 (4) Genetics and biotechnology 29 (20) Introduction 29 (2) Industrial genetics 31 (1) Protoplast and cell fusion technologies 32 (3) Genetic engineering 35 (6) The polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing 41 (2) Nucleic acid probes 43 (1) Genomics and proteomics 44 (1) Antisense and RNA interference 45 (2) Systems biology 47 (1) Potential laboratory biohazards of genetic engineering 47 (2) Bioprocess/fermentation technology 49 (24) Introduction 49 (4) Principles of microbial growth 53 (4) The bioreactor 57 (6) Scale-up 63 (1) Media design for fermentation processes 63 (2) Solid substrate fermentation 65 (2) Technology of mammalian and plant cell culture 67 (3) Metabolic engineering 70 (1) Downstream processing 71 (2) Enzyme technology 73 (22) The nature of enzymes 73 (2) The application of enzymes 75 (6) Selection and development of producer strains for enzyme production 81 (3) The technology of enzyme production 84 (4) Immobilised enzymes 88 (7) Biological fuel generation 95 (15) Global warming and the significance of fossil fuels 95 (1) Photosynthesis: the ultimate energy source 96 (1) Biofuels from biomass 97 (2) Bioethanol from biomass 99 (4) Biodiesel 103 (1) Methane 104 (3) Hydrogen 107 (1) The way ahead for biofuels 108 (1) Contrasting views on climate change 109 (1) Environmental biotechnology 110 (23) Introduction 110 (2) Microbial ecology/environmental biotechnology 112 (1) Waste water and sewage treatment 113 (5) Landfill technologies 118 (1) Composting 119 (3) Bioremediation 122 (4) Detection and monitoring of pollutants 126 (1) Microbes and the geological environment 126 (4) Environmental sustainability and clean technology 130 (3) Plant and forest biotechnology 133 (16) Introduction 133 (1) Plant biotechnology 134 (12) Forest biotechnology 146 (3) Animal and insect biotechnology 149 (12) Introduction 149 (1) Genetic manipulation and transgenic animals 150 (4) Genetically engineered hormones and vaccines 154 (1) Animal organs for human patients 155 (2) Genetically modified insects 157 (1) A look to the future 157 (1) Diagnostics in plant and animal agriculture 158 (3) Food and beverage biotechnology 161 (29) Introduction 161 (3) Food and beverage fermentations 164 (14) Microorganisms as food 178 (7) Enzymes and food processing 185 (1) Amino acids, vitamins and sweeteners 186 (2) Organic acids and polysaccharides 188 (1) Rapid diagnostics 188 (1) Bioprocess technology 189 (1) Public acceptance and safety of new biotechnology foods 189 (1) Biotechnology and medicine 190 (21) Introduction 190 (2) Pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals 192 (1) Antibiotics 193 (3) Vaccines and monoclonal antibodies 196 (5) Biopharmaceuticals/therapeutic proteins 201 (4) Pharmacogenetics 205 (1) Molecular biology and human disease 206 (1) Diagnostics in developing countries 206 (1) Gene therapy 207 (2) Systems biology and medicine 209 (2) Stem cell biotechnology 211 (7) The nature of stem cells 211 (2) Stem cell cultivation 213 (2) Human-animal embryos 215 (1) Commercial potential for stem cell therapies 216 (2) Protection of biotechnological inventions 218 (6) Introduction 218 (1) Patent protection 219 (3) Trade secrets 222 (1) Plant breeders' rights 223 (1) Safety in biotechnology 224 (8) Introduction 224 (1) Concepts of hazard and risk 224 (1) Problems of organism pathogenicity 225 (2) Problems of biologically active biotechnology products 227 (1) Biowarfare and bioterrorism 228 (4) Public perception of biotechnology: genetic engineering --- safety, social, moral and ethical considerations 232 (13) Introduction 232 (2) Release of genetically manipulated organisms into the environment 234 (2) Genetic modification and food uses 236 (6) The applications of human genetic research 242 (3) Looking to the future 245 (5) Glossary 250 (4) Further reading 254 (9) Index 263