Industrial Biotechnology

Explore genetic engineering by isolating genes with restriction enzymes, creating sticky ends, and inserting them into a plasmid vector to form recombinant DNA delivered into cells via an electric field.

Explore how vectors transport desired genes, meet criteria like origins of replication and restriction sites, and use marker genes and fluorescence to confirm uptake in bacteria, plants, and animals.

Explore how engineering animals and gene therapy use vectors to deliver healthy genes, addressing somatic and germline approaches, disease targets like cystic fibrosis and Huntington's, and ethical debates.

Explore why microorganisms are ideal for industrial scale production, powering food, drugs, and biotechnology through complex pathways, genetic engineering, and rapid growth in bioreactors.

Genetically engineered microorganisms drive food production, enabling single-cell protein as a vegetarian meat substitute from fungus, with rapid, low-cost growth but contamination and flavor challenges.

Explore medicinal biotechnology through penicillin production, from fungus growth and extraction to continuous and batch fermentation, plus insulin production via genetic engineering in bioreactors.

Culturing microorganisms in bioreactors uses batch or continuous fermentation to maximize yield, controlling pH, temperature, nutrients, and oxygen. Understand the lag, exponential, stationary, and decline phases.

Compare isolated enzymes with immobilised enzymes to highlight specificity, reduced downstream processing, and reuse advantages, while noting cost, stability, and potential activity losses in industry.

Examine immobilisation methods, including adsorbing enzymes to inorganic carriers or covalently bonding to surfaces, and entrapment or encapsulation in matrices or semi-permeable membranes.

Explore how immobilized enzymes boost industrial efficiency by enabling lactose hydrolysis with immobilized lactase to produce lactose-free milk, and extend to plastics synthesis like acrylamide in scalable bioreactors.