Activity For Biotech

1. How do you think biotechnology give benefits to the societal needs?
Does their
applications relevant in the present societal needs/conditions?
Biotechnology has helped improve the quality of people’s lives for over
10,000 years. Past biotechnology has mainly aimed to provide a more reliable
food source by growing plants and domesticating animals rather than depending
on hunting and gathering. As time went by, biotechnology improved that variety
of its uses have also increased. As our knowledge and capability in
biotechnology increases, so do the potential benefits.
According to the video, the current biotechnology has opened doors for many
applications such as agriculture, therapeutics, diagnostics, waste treatment, food
processing, bioremediation, and energy production. It is practically used as much
as we can to create advantages in our lives and to benefit society. I think the
biggest application of biotechnology is in human health. From fertility assistance
to the home pregnancy test for prenatal screening. Even through our childhood,
with immunizations and antibiotics, both of which have improved the human life
expectancy drastically. So yes, biotechnology’s applications are really relevant in
the present societal needs/conditions, especially in the pandemic outbreak we
are facing right now. I guess most scientists are doing their best right now in
finding the cure and vaccines of the COVID19 through the best use of
biotechnologies.
2. How important this biotechnology in agricultural production? Cite some

advantages and disadvantages.
According to the video, biotechnology plays a key role in agriculture and food
production. With the gradual increase in the world’s population, there is also a
growing concern about increasing the production and quality of food. Genetically
engineered crop-based agriculture is introduced as a possible solution since the
green revolution (the use of agro-chemicals such as pesticides and organic
farming) is still insufficient to supply the continuous growth of population. Genetic
engineering techniques have been used to alter the genes of many plants,
bacteria, fungi, and animals which are then called GMO (Genetically-Modified
Organisms). Genetically-modified plants are being used increasingly as they
have several benefits: higher tolerance to abiotic stresses, and they also helped
reduce the use of pesticides as many of them are pest-resistant. In addition, GM
plants increase the efficiency of mineral usage and thereby prevent early
exhaustion of soil fertility. Moreover, GM crops such as Vitamin A enriched rice
enhance the nutritional value of food. Some GM plants also cater to the industrial
needs by providing resources such as starches, fuels, and pharmaceuticals. The
greatest contribution of biotechnology to the afield of agriculture is the production
of pest-resistant plants.
There is no doubt that biotechnology provides some great advantages,
especially in the field of agriculture, however, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have
different issues to consider. Surprisingly, it can also provide harm to agriculture
as much as it does on providing advantages. Biotechnology is known to give birth
to genetically modified plants which can transfer the genetic element to
unmodified crops. For example, an agricultural plant is resistant to the herbicide.
This may transfer some of its traits to weed and thus, make it herbicide resistant
as well. This is one of the major concerns that has triggered the biologists. In
addition, these genetically modified organisms, including bacteria, can escape in
the wild and may disturb the balance of the ecosystem. This, as a result, may
hurt biodiversity. Biotechnology may have flourished a lot in the last decade, but
there are plenty of things that are still unknown.
3. Describe some areas where biotech applications that are relevant in the societal
needs.
According to the video, the current biotechnology has opened doors for many
applications such as agriculture, therapeutics, diagnostics, waste treatment, food
processing, bioremediation, and energy production. It is practically used as much
as we can to create advantages in our lives and to benefit society. But I think the
biggest application of biotechnology is in human health. From fertility assistance
to the home pregnancy test for prenatal screening. Even through our childhood,
with immunizations and antibiotics, both of which have improved the human life
expectancy drastically. Biotechnology’s applications are really relevant in the
present societal needs/conditions, especially in the pandemic outbreak we are
facing right now. I guess most scientists are doing their best right now in finding
the cure and vaccines of the COVID19 through the best use of biotechnologies.
4. In your own understanding, does producing GMO products could help sustain
societal needs without harming our health?
Biotechnologies today vary in complexity and application. Yet all of them have
the potential to change our society. While the intention behind biotechnologies
is to benefit our society, determining what impact such as the harm that it can
do to human health, a particular biotechnology may have, for me, is too
complex. As far as what we know today, biotechnological foods are safe for
humans, but still, risk exists everywhere especially in our food supply. As our
knowledge and capability in biotechnology increases, so do the potential
impacts. As what most researchers say, biotechnology may have flourished a
lot in the last decade, but there are plenty of things that are still unknown, and a
lot of interacting factors are still need to be considered.
5. What are catalysts and their role in food production?
Catalysts are the unheard-of heroes of the chemical reactions that tick
human society. A catalyst is some material that accelerates chemical reactions.
Molecules that could take years to interact can now do so in seconds with a
helping hand from a catalyst. Because of its specific capability to catalyze various
biochemical or biological reactions, chemical enzymes are protein molecules and
are also referred to as biocatalysts. Enzyme catalysis is the most promising or
challenging field of catalytic research capable of solving and making it available
to all world food problems.
Enzymes are commonly used in the food industry, as well as in brewing,

dairy processing, oil and fat production, meat (or fish) products or bakery
specialties. Beyond well-established food processing procedures, enzymes can
also be used to improve the properties of foods such as digestibility and taste. In
addition, they are increasingly being applied to biotransform waste from the food
industry, enabling products to be obtained that could be reused in the food
supply chain or used in other industrial applications, such as cosmetics or
pharmaceutical applications.
In addition to food processing, biocatalysts are the biological component
most commonly used in biosensors, enabling the detection of a variety of
compounds, including undesirable or even toxic molecules in food, thus
contributing to food safety monitoring. The use of enzymes for food processing is
thousands of years old and has now been renovated and equipped with new
biotechnological instruments.

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1. How do you think biotechnology give benefits to the societal needs?

2. How important this biotechnology in agricultural production? Cite some

5. What are catalysts and their role in food production?

Enzymes are commonly used in the food industry, as well as in brewing,

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