Biotechnology

What do all the following pictures have in common?

What is biotechnology

• Biotechnology involves the use of living systems, organisms, or parts of organisms to manipulate natural processes in order to develop products, systems, or environments to benefit people.

• These may be products, such as foods, pharmaceuticals, or compost; systems, such as waste management or water purification; or environments, such as hydroponics. Biotechnology also includes genetic or biomedical engineering.

Biotechnology in NZ

Biotechnology in NZ

Dairy industry

Waste management

Beverages industry Food

Making milk proteins

Milk products

Finding contamination in food

Making enzyme

s

Beers

Wines

Getting rid of waste

chemicals

Composting

Processing farm

effluent

Some information about biotechnology

• Biotechnology involves the use of living things to make materials such as food, chemicals and medicines.

• There are 4 main industries in NZ which uses Biotechnology

• One of these groups is the food industry which produces enzymes and finds contamination in foods.

• The beverages industry produces beers and wines. • The dairy industry makes milk products and milk

protein. • Finally the waste management industry involves

getting rid of waste chemicals , processing farm effluent and composting the waste vegetation.

Genetic modification

• The fastest growing area of biotechnology in the world today is the genetic modification (GM) programs that have had billions of dollars pumped into them over the last few years. Some of this research has been useful. Some of the research has been controversial.

Advantages of GM

• Mass production of hormones such as insulin & human growth hormone, antibodies and vaccines.

• Create animal & plant resistance to diseases and cancers.

• Gene therapy replacing defective genes with functional ones.

• Produce better tasting crops with better nutritional value & higher yield.

• ‘Tailor making’ animals & plants to show desired characteristics.

Controversy of GM

• Could harm the environment if rogue organisms were formed.

• Reduction of genetic diversity by producing cloned organisms with genetic defects.

• Contaminating crops with GM crops.• Harmful pathogens could enter the

gene pool.• Moral & ethical issues ‘messing with

nature’