Biotechnological Advances and Developing Countries

Abstract

Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field between biosciences and engineering to achieve technological applications. For thousands of years man has made use of naturally-occurring microorganisms to produce foodstuffs and beverages. Beer and wine are the oldest fermentation products. Cheese and bread making also go back to antiquity.

The last decade has seen further biotechnological development following the application of knowledge gained from science and technology. Recent discoveries are leading to a new biotechnology with very wide applications, particularly for agriculture and medicine.

In developing countries, the impact of advances in biotechnology are more important than in developed countries. The problems met are almost identical with all of the developing countries and include: high investment costs, unavailability of qualified personnel, high environmental pollution, inadequate engineering services, and difficulty in development of new processes.