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9.6 Option Biotechnology: 3. Cell biochemistry and industrial fermentation procedures

Syllabus reference (October 2002 version)
3. Classical biotechnology exploited knowledge of cell biochemistry to produce industrial fermentation procedures	Students learn to: describe the expansion of fermentation since the early 18^th century to include the production of several organic compounds, including glycerol, lactic acid, citric acid and yeast biomass for baker’s yeast describe strain isolation methods developed in the 1940s describe, using a specific example, the benefits of strain isolation methods used in biotechnology in the 20^th century identify that developments in the 1950s led to biotransformation technologies that could produce required organic compounds such as cortisone and sex hormones	Students: gather and process information from secondary sources to: identify and describe a named industrial fermentation process identify the micro-organism used in the fermentation and the products of the fermentation outline the use of the product of the fermentation process use available evidence to assess the impact of the use of the fermentation product on society at the time of its introduction process and analyse information from secondary sources to demonstrate how changes in technology and scientific knowledge have modified traditional uses of biotechnology, such as fermentation

Syllabus reference (October 2002 version)

3. Classical biotechnology exploited knowledge of cell biochemistry to produce industrial fermentation procedures

Students learn to:

describe the expansion of fermentation since the early 18^th century to include the production of several organic compounds, including glycerol, lactic acid, citric acid and yeast biomass for baker’s yeast

describe strain isolation methods developed in the 1940s

describe, using a specific example, the benefits of strain isolation methods used in biotechnology in the 20^th century

identify that developments in the 1950s led to biotransformation technologies that could produce required organic compounds such as cortisone and sex hormones

Students:

gather and process information from secondary sources to:
- identify and describe a named industrial fermentation process
- identify the micro-organism used in the fermentation and the products of the fermentation
- outline the use of the product of the fermentation process
- use available evidence to assess the impact of the use of the fermentation product on society at the time of its introduction

process and analyse information from secondary sources to demonstrate how changes in technology and scientific knowledge have modified traditional uses of biotechnology, such as fermentation

Extract from Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (Amended October 2002, © Board of Studies, NSW.

Prior learning: Science Stages 4 and 5, 4.8.1 and 5.8.1 cell theory, 4.8.3 unicellular organisms, 5.8.4 humans.
Preliminary module 8.3 Patterns in Nature, HSC module 9.3 Blueprint of life.

Background information: Fermentation is the breakdown of glucose and other simple sugar molecules into carbon dioxide and alcohol. In cheese and yoghurt making milk, sugar is changed into lactic acid. For a cell, such as yeast, fermentation is a way of getting energy without using oxygen, Energy is obtained through glycolysis. This produces waste products such as ethyl alcohol, lactic acid or acetone. These are the important chemicals of fermentation.

gather and process information from secondary sources to:

identify and describe a named industrial fermentation process

identify the micro-organism used in the fermentation and the products of the fermentation

outline the use of the product of the fermentation process

use available evidence to assess the impact of the use of the fermentation product on society at the time of its introduction

Gather information from a range of resources including the Internet, scientific journals and text books. As you gather general information on fermentation you will need to choose a particular industrial fermentation process to investigate. Make sure the information you have gathered includes the micro-organism used and the products of the fermentation. You may need a separate web site to find the impact of the use of the fermentation product on society at the time of its introduction.

Process the information you have gathered by assessing the reliability of the information from various sources. This is best done by comparing similar information from different sources. If you are uncertain about the reliability of one source, check it against a third source.

Use the available evidence you have gathered to assess the impact of the use of the fermentation product on society at the time of its introduction.
Some web links to start your investigation are:

The role of micro-organisms in food production , Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State, USA.

Microbial fermentations: Changed the course of human history Access Excellence @ the national health museum.

Two sites on fermentation to produce cheeses is Cheese , University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada and Leeners , A real store on the web, Northfield, Ohio, USA.

describe the expansion of fermentation since the early 18th century to include the production of several organic compounds, including glycerol, lactic acid, citric acid and yeast biomass for baker’s yeast

Since the early 18^th century major discoveries about the biology and chemistry of fermentation and distillation made it possible to produce cheaper alcohol on a large scale.

Over the next 200 years other organic compounds were fermented by using different carbohydrates and micro-organisms. These products included glycerol, lactic acid, citric acid and yeast biomass.

Glycerol was made by adding sodium bisulfite to the fermentation of sugar. It has many uses including as a solvent, a sweetener, antifreeze mixtures, in medicine and in the production of dynamite. More information on glycerol , Infoplease, Pearson Education, USA

Citric acid is produced using the fungus Aspergillus niger on the submerged fermentation of glucose. It is used in the food industries as a flavour enhancer.

Lactic acid is made by a similar method. The milk sugar lactose is fermented to lactic acid by many types of bacteria to produce products such as cottage cheese, yoghurt and sour milk. It is also used in medicines, textile dyeing, leather tanning and the manufacture of plastics. Lactic acid fermentation is carried out by many bacteria, most notably by the lactic acid bacteria used in the production of yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, and pickles.
Citric acid , High Beam Encyclopedia

Microbial Fermentations: Changed The Course Of Human History , Access Excellence, National Health Museum, USA

describe strain isolation methods developed in the 1940s

Strain isolation were methods of separating a particular strain of a micro-organism, such as a bacterium, virus or fungus to then grow that particular strain and use it to benefit other humans, eg a strain of penicillin that was easier to grow in large quantities.

Pathologist Howard Florey and biochemist Ernst Chain produced an extract of penicillin, the first powerful antibiotic in 1940. They isolated the antibiotic from Fleming’s mould cultures and demonstrated that it could cure infections in animals. However they couldn’t isolate enough of the penicillin from the mould to be commercially viable. The use of huge deep fermentation tanks provided with a good supply of air made it possible to produce more of the wonder drug, because the mould could grow throughout the 25 000 gallon tanks instead of just on the top.

With Fleming, Florey and Chain were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology in 1945. Florey, Chain and large scale production Timeline Science Resources, National grid for learning, UK

Selman Waksman studied soil-dwelling bacteria called actinomyces that give off substances that kill certain bacteria. In 1943, Albert Schatz, Elizabeth Bugie and Selman Waksman discovered two strains of actinomyces called streptomyces and found that they produced substances remarkably effective in fighting bacteria that cause tuberculosis, whooping cough, typhoid, and dysentery, then major killers. The substance was known as streptomycin.

describe, using a specific example, the benefits of strain isolation methods used in biotechnology in the 20^th century

Strain isolation enabled scientists to find a strain of penicillin in a relatively short time when time was vital. This was because a strain of penicillin had to be found that could be reproduced quickly in large quantities. The penicillin was needed to treat wounded troops in WWII. However it eventually became clear that the type of Penicillium notatum, the penicillin mould first discovered by Fleming, would never give enough of the drug to be useful commercially. Mutations created new strains. One way this was done was to bombard the penicillin with X- Rays. Through strain improvements, improved culture media and better aeration, the yields of penicillin increased from 1-2 units per mL to 25000 units per mL.

Another way the volume of penicillin was increased, was by a new strain being found accidentally. In 1943, laboratory worker Mary Hunt discovered a new strain of penicillin called Penicillium chrysogenum that grew so well in a tank that it more than doubled the amount of penicillin produced. This, along with deep fermentation and the use of corn steep liquor made the commercial production of penicillin possible in the US in that year.

Researchers continued to find higher-yielding Penicillium moulds, and also produced higher yielding strains by exposing molds to x-rays or ultraviolet light. Today penicillin is one of the cheapest antibiotics and so is available to most people.

A good site that covers Chain’s involvement in detail. Bob Weintraub, Director of the Libraries, Negev Academic College of Engineering, Beersheva and Ashdod, Israel.

identify that developments in the 1950s led to biotransformation technologies that could produce required organic compounds such as cortisone and sex hormones

Biotransformation is the process where one chemical is changed into another by a chemical reaction that occurs in a living organism. This ability is part of an organism’s metabolism.

In biotechnology, biotransformations involve conversions of natural or synthetic precursors into products with increased value. Micro-organisms, animal cells, plant cells or their organs / organelles, isolated enzymes or immobilised biocatalysts can be used for biotransformations.

Over the past years biotransformations have gained in importance as intermediate in chemical synthesis predominantly if reactions are not possible or only possible with great effort. These reactions are feasible due to enzyme properties like reaction specificity and an enzyme being selective to a region.

process and analyse information from secondary sources to demonstrate how changes in technology and scientific knowledge have modified traditional uses of biotechnology, such as fermentation

Access information from mass media as well as from scientific journals and assess the accuracy of the different information. Is the information from the mass media easier to understand? However does it lose some of its accuracy when it is put into layman’s language? If some of the scientific language is difficult to understand ask your teacher to explain it to you.
A web site to start with is Juice, soft drinks, wine and beer , GMO Compass, European Union

If you are having trouble finding information on the changes to biotechnology due to new technologies, you can find information on traditional technologies for biotechnologies such as fermentation and then compare this with information on the latest methods of biotechnologies.