Industrial biotechnology uses microorganisms and biological processes to produce various products in industries like chemicals, textiles, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing. It offers benefits like low input costs, high output rates, environmental friendliness by using renewable resources, and increased efficiency. Some key applications of industrial biotechnology include producing metabolites, treating waste, developing biofuels and bioenergy, and producing antibiotics, antibodies, and enzymes that have various medical and industrial uses.

1. Scope & Applications of Industrial
Biotechnology
Dr. P. Suganya
Assistant Professor
Sri Kaliswari College (Autonomous)
Sivakasi

2. Industrial biotechnology engineers can
seek employment in chemical and
textile industries, agricultural sectors,
pharmaceutical firms and
manufacturing industries
Scope Industrial Biotechnology

3. Introduction of Industrial Biotechnology
 The very first expression of industrial applications of
biotechnology was found in the production of beer,
wine, cheese, bread and other fermented products.
 Over the years, such applications have expanded to
include a very wide range of products in the food,
chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Genetic
engineering and molecular biology
 have proved invaluable not only for the development
of a host of products, but also for
 introducing new and more effective bioprocesses.

5.  It, often referred to as , is a
collection of scientific techniques and technologies
used to improve both the efficiency and
environmental foot print of modern industrial
production.
 Microbial technology constitutes the core of
Industrial Biotechnology.
 Microbial technology refers to the use of microbes to
obtain a product or service of economic value. It is
also called as .

6.  Isolation of microorganisms from nature,
 Their screening for product formation,
 Improvement of product yields,
 Maintenance of cultures,
 Mass culture using bioreactors, and
 Recovery of products or services.

7.  Metabolite production.
 Anaerobic digestion (for methane production).
 Waste treatment (both organic and industrial).
 Production of biocontrol agents, and
 Fermentation of food products.
 Bio based fuel &energy.

8.  Microorganisms produce a number of metabolites
during their growth using cheap substrates.
 Acetone-butanol,
 Alcohol,
 Antibiotics,
 Enzymes,
 Organic acids
 Vitamins.

9.  Microorganisms employed to enhance the availability of
nutrients, viz., nitrogen (by fixing atmospheric N2) and
phosphorus (by solublizing soil phosphorus), to the crops
are called biofertilizers.
 Rhizobium spp.
 Blue-green Algae andAzolla.
 Azotobacter andAzospirillum.

11.  Microbes can be employed to recover valuable metals
from low grade ores and also from dilute solutions for
which the conventional metallurgical processes are
uneconomical and, generally, rather polluting.
E.g
 leaching of copper as copper sulphate from ores.
 Desulphurization of Coals by Thiobacillus spp.

12.  Use of microorganisms to control insect pests,
pathogens or weeds constitutes biological
control, and the biological agents employed
for this purpose are called biocontrol agents.
 Bioinsecticides-
 Bioherbicides-

14.  Ethanol currently produced by
fermenting grain (old
technology).
 Cellulose enzyme technology
allows
conversion of crop residues
(stems, leaves and hulls) to
ethanol.
 Results in reduced CO2
emissions by more than 90%
(compared to oil).
 Allows for greater domestic
energy production and it uses
a renewable feedstock.

15.  Low input of substrate.
 High rate of output.
 Friendly to environment.
 Renewable.
 Increased efficiency.

16. Biotechnology and Medicine
The use of biotechnology has opened up a whole new world of
possibilities in the field of medicine
These include dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease and Schizophrenia
(the latter is incurred by a single aberrant gene).
Biotechnology also holds enormous potential for fertility control.
Safe organ transplant and manipulation of the body’s immune system
has also been made possible.
Designer drugs is yet another development, which is specifically
tailored to manipulate whole or parts of individual genes and to
suppress or induce specific actions.

17. Antibiotics
 most profitable part of the pharmaceutical
industry.
 More than a hundred antibiotics are currently in
use and many dreaded bacterial diseases have
been brought under control.
 The major groups of antibiotics include penicillin,
tetracycline, cephalosporin and erythromycin.
 E.g Penicillin was discovered by Fleming in 1928,
and developed by Howard in 1944 from a fungus
named Penicillium notatum and later from
Pchrysogenum. Penicillium produces the largest
quantity of penicillin when the cells stop growing.

18. Antibodies
Whenever there is an invasion of bacteria, fungi or viruses in the
body, the blood and lymph glands generate antibodies as a defense
mechanism. T
These antibodies (or immunoglobulin’s) identify the foreign
substances (or antigens), and attach themselves to the alien
material.
There are millions of different types of antibodies in the body, and
each has a particular structure. If an antibody encounters a foreign
substance with the same configuration, the two will lock together.
When antigens are implanted into mice, rabbits, goats or horses,
many B-lymphocytes bind to the antigen to produce a range of
different immunoglobulin’s as antibodies to the antigen.
Thus the total antibodies generated towards a particular antigen
have been produced by many different clones derived from
different B-lymphocytes and are referred to as polyclonal.
Monoclonal antibodies are produced from a clone of cells derived
from a single B-lymphocyte. These identical antibodies recognize
exactly the same antigen.

19. Therapeutic Applications
Monoclonal antibodies developed against a particular type of cancer
cell may lead to the regression of the tumor, as the cancerous cells
are recognized as alien to body.
Monoclonal antibodies can trigger off a patient’s immune system to
start attacking a tumor.
Anti-cancer drugs that are physiologically attached to monoclonal
antibodies targeted against specific cancerous antigens can also be
delivered directly against the malignancy.
Prediction of Disease Risk
Particular antigens on the cell surface (like those of human
leukocytes) have been associated with the relative risk of
occurrence of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, early
recognition of these antigens using monoclonal antibodies can
facilitate suitable preventive measures.

20. Autoimmune Disease
This disease causes a breakdown in the body’s tolerance to its own
antigens, as the B and T cells both react against their own tissue
antigens. In rheumatic fever, the body becomes immunized against
tissues in the heart and joints following an infection. Monoclonal
antibodies against T-cell antigen are now being used to study and
treat many autoimmune diseases.
Pregnancy Testing
After fertilisation and implantation, the foetal placental unit functions as
an endocrine gland producing hormones. These include the human
chorionic gonadotropic hormone, which is produced within three days of
conception and reaches a level that is easily detected by monoclonal
antibodies within seven days. The kits developed are used to confirm
pregnancy as early as the eleventh day from conception.

21. New Drug Targets and Vaccine Development
Some of the examples are:
Insulin:
It is an important hormone regulating glucose levels.
Anti-haemophilic Factor:
It is an important material purified from human blood, and used in the
treatment of haemophilia. Action has proved difficult because of infection of
haemophiliacs with AIDS virus.
Human Serum Albumin:
It is one of the most common blood proteins used in the treatment of shock
injuries such as burns.
Engineered Enzymes:
These enzymes are used to treat a range of conditions from cardiac diseases
to renal failure, to certain types of inherited enzyme deficiencies.

22. Food and Beverage Industry
Xylanases:
Enzymes are biological molecules present in various organisms.
Microorganisms have been found to be a rich source of industrially
important enzymes. One such enzyme is xylanase.
Different types of xylanases have been identified and isolated by genetic
manipulation. These include digestive enzymes for natural fibres like wood,
pulp and cellulose.
Xylanases play a very positive role in improving the quality of baked
products. For instance, a specific xylanase enzyme has been identified and
produced from a fungal strain (Aspergillus niger var awamori). Molecular
manipulations have enhanced the production level of these enzymes by
twenty to forty times. This enzyme (EXLA) was developed by Unilever, and
is now available freely in the market.

23. Emulsifiers:
Acacia gum is predominantly used as an emulsifier in the food industry due to
its emulsifying and stabilisation properties. Using new molecular tools,
emulsifiers are now synthesised from covalently coupled carbohydrates like
starch, pectin, sugar and proteins from wheat, milk and soya bean.
Peanut Allergy Testing:
Many people have been found to display allergic reactions after eating peanuts.
To combat this problem, it is essential to identify the cause of this allergy. For
this purpose, a highly sensitive immunological assay has been developed by a
Netherland based company to detect peanut proteins in foods. This is the first
peanut assay with commercial applications.
Effective Monitoring:
Scientists are developing versatile gastrointestinal models for detailed
monitoring of digestibility, bioconversion and biodegradability of foods and
drugs and contaminants from the point of safety and functionality. These
models (TIM-TNO – in vitro models) are now used for studying the digestive
effect of nutraceutical foods.
High Intensity Sweetener:
Hoechst developed ‘Aesulfamek’, the high intensity sweetener under the name
SunettTM. Its efficacy and toxicological safety testing has established this
product as an extremely effective sweetener.

24. Calcium Intake:
One of the most important and innovative applications of biotechnology is to improve
the calcium level in our foodstuff Researchers have shown that oligo-fructose, a
naturally occurring, low-digestible oligosaccharide, increases calcium absorption by as
much as twenty two per cent. Such studies can open the floodgates for new areas of
health application and new classes of ingredients. These findings can be used to create
new products in dairy, bakery, confectionery and drinks.
Foods from Microbes:
While brewing and baking have existed for ages, we are now using genetically pure
strains in the process. Studies show that nearly 1.5 million tons of bakers’ yeast
{Saccharomyces cervisiae) is produced throughout the world every year. Modern plants
have also reduced the time required in the fermentation process from months to days.
Similarly, the fungus Aspergillus oryzae is being used to produce a wide range of
important enzymes

25. Edible Mushrooms:
Rank Hons McDougall PLC & ICI (Zeneca) have recently obtained Quorn
myco-protein from a filamentous fungus Fusarium graminecerarum.
Quorn is obtained from mycelia grown in large fermenters. The final
product that is obtained has a meat-like texture, and is reported to be the
most thoroughly tested food. The annual sales of Quorn are to the tune of
15 million pounds in the United Kingdom alone
Paper Industry:
Fungi that cause white rot have proved to be quite useful for the paper industry.
Species like ‘Phanerochaete chrysosporium’ and ‘Trametis versicolor’ have
replaced some of the chemical steps used in papermaking. This can eliminate the
pollution hazards associated with the use of chemicals.
Biotechnological forces are well on their way to herald a whole new industrial
revolution. The force of this revolution will lie in exploiting living organisms, and
using molecular tools as effective alternatives for conventional chemical based raw
materials. And if present trends are any indication, this new revolution is going to
redefine industry in the future.