Biotechnology

Question 1

What is a primary metabolite?

Answer 1

A primary metabolite is an essential organic compound directly involved in an organism’s normal growth, development, and reproduction, typically produced during the active growth phase

Question 2

What is a Secondary metabolite?

Answer 2

Secondary metabolites are organic compounds produced by bacteria, fungi, or plants that are not directly involved in normal growth, development, or reproduction. Acting as defense mechanisms.

Question 3

What is fermentation

Answer 3

It is a large scale microbial process which isn’t necessarily a biochemical fermentation reaction.

Question 4

What is a fermentor

Answer 4

The large tank in which the industrial fermentation is carried out, batch or continuous.

Question 5

What is a fermenter

Answer 5

The microorganism used for fermentation in the fermentor.

Question 6

What are the two types of fermentors?

Answer 6

Aerobic fermentors
Anaerobic fermentors

Question 7

What is the role of the cooling jacket during aerobic fermentation?

Answer 7

Keep the tank cool due to 60% of the energy from the reactions being waste, and most converted to heat.

Question 8

What is a batch process?

Answer 8

Fill tank
Complete reaction
Take all contents out
use of steam to sterilize tank between batches.

Question 9

What are we monitoring during fermentation process?

Answer 9

Growth and product formation, so cell mass and product concentration.

Also environments factors such as temperature, o2 concentration and pH

Question 10

Process control and monitoring using computers include.

Answer 10

Process control with computers like on-line data collection

Feedback control, they are also used to model the process.

Question 11

What are the factors of the kinetics of penicillin fermentation?

Answer 11

Lactose, Penicillin, Cells and Ammonia.

Then adding glucose and nitrogen via a process called nutrient feeding.

Fed-Batch

Question 12

Steps for the purification of an antibiotic?

Answer 12

Fermentor goes through preliminary treatments then goes into filtration, the solids go through extraction and waste solids are dried and used as animal feed supplement.

The liquid is added to absorption columns or chemical precipitation or solvent extraction.

The useful solid/extract and the partially purified antibiotic/liquid in solution is recrystallized, purified and then an antibiotic is formed.

Question 13

What is downstream processing.

Answer 13

Anything that happens after the fermentor is emptied

Question 14

Industrial uses of enzymes.

Answer 14

Leather tanning
Cheese manufacturing
Brewing
Amylases in bread making
Cellulases in treating denim

Question 15

Benefits of using enzymes ?

Answer 15

Genetically manipulated
Occur naturally
Not limited by season or climate
Work at normal temperatures and pressures
Specific

Question 16

What is an immobilized enzyme

Answer 16

Form of enzyme which is anchored to an chemically inert, insoluble materials.

Question 17

Where can enzymes be immobilized?

Answer 17

Range of materials, including agar gels, cellulose and polyacrylamide.

Question 18

What properties would be useful in an industrial enzyme process within a carrier matrix.

Answer 18

Low cost
Chemical Inertness
Physical strength
Stable
Regenerablility after useful lifetime of an enzyme.
Enhancement of enzyme specificity

Question 19

What are the advantages of immobilization

Answer 19

Repeated use, as enzymes are expensive

Product is readily freed from the enzyme

Immobilized enzymes can be used in nonaqueous systems as well.

Continuous production systems can be used, which is not possible with free enzymes.

Several enzymes with different optimums can be used.

Enzymes can be easily added or removed

Question 20

What are the disadvantages of immobilization

Answer 20

Additional cost
Can have adverse affects the stability and/or activity of the enzymes.

Question 21

What are some examples of solid fermentation/filamentous?

Answer 21

Tempeh
Quorn
Soya sauce
Commercial mushrooms
Cheese
Penicillin

Question 22

What is a SCP

Answer 22

Single Cell protein is dervived from microbial cells. The whole organism is harvested and consumed which increases the available protein for human and animal consumption,

Question 23

What is a mycoprotein

Answer 23

Fungal proteins

Question 24

Use of agricultural waste?

Answer 24

Grow SCP on it

Question 25

SCP Advantages

Answer 25

Fast growth Production all year round Range of substrates can be used High protein contents.