name some of the living systems that are being used for the industrial application
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By Christine Herman
Fats and oils play an important role in many aspects of everyday life. Having the right balance of fatty acids in our diet is important to health, not to mention the countless products that contain oils and their derivatives as key ingredients.
As the earth’s population continues to grow, the need for fats and oils will likewise increase. In anticipation, oilseed researchers are preparing themselves to meet the growing demands for fats and oils.
One key way forward will involve the use of biotechnology to generate new oilseed crops that have improved fatty acid content and yields, for edible, personal care, and industrial applications. This article provides an overview of what biotechnology is and how the tools and techniques apply to the fats and oils industry.
For many millennia, humans have exploited biological systems to create useful products. Long before the underlying biology was understood, people have used yeast to create bread and wine, mold to create aged cheeses, bacteria to ferment cucumbers into pickles, and microbes to perform the retting process that converts flax into linen. If we apply Merriam-Webster’s definition, these are among the earliest examples of biotechnology, which, in the broadest sense, involves “the use of living cells, bacteria, etc., to make useful products.”
The applications of biotechnology in agriculture date back hundreds of years to when farmers began growing crops in new environments, such as the introduction of soybean to North America from China in the 18th century. They used traditional breeding methods, crossing plants with certain desirable features to create new varieties with traits such as disease resistance and tolerance to pests, chemicals, and extreme environments. Although the underlying biology was not understood at the time, this was the beginning of human intervention resulting in genetic alterations to crops.
Modern biotechnology began with the first demonstration of genetic engineering (GE) in the 1970s, when scientist Paul Berg carried out the first successful gene splicing experiment. Shortly after, researchers Herbert W. Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen transferred genetic material into a bacterium and demonstrated that the new genes were reproduced along with the organism’s native DNA. Since then, scientists have used GE to render crops resistant to pests, herbicides, and drought conditions, and to improve their nutrient profiles. In addition, GE has led to innovations in medicine, biofuels, and bioremediation.