Scope and importance of biotechnology

1. Fermentation product production
2. Food processing
3. Antibiotic production
4. Employment opportunity

Other importance: –

1. Medical biotechnology

• Monoclonal antibodies, Antibiotics, gene therapy, vaccines, finger printing, insulin.

2. Industrial biotechnology

• Antibiotics, fuel production, immunotoxins, enzymes, organic acids.
• The important characteristics that have made microbes useful in industries are:

a) Their ability to grow on easily available and cheap raw materials.

b) Ability to maintain a physiological dormancy.

c) Ability to bring biochemical transformations under simple culture conditions.

d) High rate of surface area to volume, which facilitates the rapid uptake of nutrients and high rate of metabolism and biosynthesis.