Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Potential of Agri-Biotech Engineering: Rebellion Against Food Insecurity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Enzymes in Food Technology

  • 2053 Accesses

Abstract

Among the greatest achievements in the twenty-first century in science and technology, one is food bioengineering, which has brought a revolution especially in the food and agriculture sector. By 2050, it is estimated that more than 10 billion people will inhabit the Earth, and it is also assumed that at that time adequate resources will not be present to feed human kind. Hunger and malnutrition already claim a large number of people in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Malnutrition or under nourishment is however, not related to any country; they are about the foods that are nutrient less or, in extreme cases, no food at all. Countless people in developed nations, though mostly well fed, still do not receive proper nourishment. Using food bioengineering, which is the most advanced branch of biotechnology, hunger and mass starvation can be controlled up to a certain limit. The majority of research in this area is focused on developing crops that are able to grow in stress conditions so that even maximal utilization of barren-land can be achieved. Biotechnological advancements are yielding fruitful results in this direction and are leading to nutrient-rich foods produced in a safe manner and environmentally friendly. As genetic engineering is changing at such a fast rate, it is quite possible that in coming decades, the majority of the food that we eat will be bioengineered. In this chapter, methods and applications of biotechnology are highlighted that are related to the production of safe food with high nutritional value in the case of transgenic plants, animals, or microorganisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bierkland NK, Holo H (1993) Transduction of a plasmid carrying the cohesive end region from Lactococcus lactis bacteriophage LC3. Appl Environ Microbiol 59:1966–1968

    Google Scholar 

  • Bodil GL, Peder B, Pedersen BR et al (1998) Safety evaluation of a fungal pectin esterase enzyme preparation and its use in food. Food Addit Contam 15(6):627–636

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bremer SK, Millar N, Wright N et al (2015) Responsible techno-innovation in aquaculture: employing ethical engagement to explore attitudes to GM salmon in Northern Europe. Aquaculture 437:370–381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruening G, Lyons JM (2000) The case of the flavr savr tomato. Calif Agric 54(4):6–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burton MD, Rigby T, Young S (2001) Consumer attitudes to genetically modified organisms in food in the UK. Eur Rev Agric Econ 28(4):479–498

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chance RE, Frank BH (1993) Research, development, production and safety of biosynthetic human insulin. Diabetes Care 6(3):133–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chappell MJ, LaValle LA (2011) Food security and biodiversity: can we have both? An agro ecological analysis. Agric Hum Values 28(1):3–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1951) Cold Spring Harbor symposium on quantitative biology XVI: genes and mutations. Available via http://library.cshl.edu/symposia/1951/index.html. Accessed 4 Nov 2003

  • Couto SR, Sanromán MA (2006) Application of solid-state fermentation to food industry—a review. J Food Eng 76(3):291–302

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daniell H, Dhingra A (2002) Multigene engineering: dawn of an exciting new era in biotechnology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 13:136–141

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dawe D, Robertson R, Unnevehr L (2002) Golden rice: what role could it play in alleviation of vitamin A deficiency? Food Policy 27(5–6):541–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekkers JC, Hospital F (2002) The use of molecular genetics in the improvement of agricultural populations. Nat Rev Genet 3:22–32

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De-Souza PM, Magalhaes PO (2010) Application of microbial α-amylase in industry – a review. Braz J Microbiol 41(4):850–861

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diamond J (1999) Guns, germs, and steel: the fates of human societies. WW Norton, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Doves A (2002) Uncorking the biomanufacturing bottleneck. Nat Biotechnol 20:777–779

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Endy D (2005) Foundations for engineering biology. Nature 438:449–453

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • FAO/IAEA (2000) Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations/international atomic energy agency. FAO/IAEA mutant varieties database. Available via http://www.infocris.iaea.org/MVD/

  • First NL (1991) New advances in reproductive biology of gametes and embryos. In: Petersen RA, McLaren A, First NL (eds) Animal applications of research in mammalian development: current communications in cell and molecular biology. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, pp 1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher A (2003) Gene identified to regulate milk content and yield. Online: FoodProductionDaily.com. Available via http://foodproductiondaily.com/news/news-NG.aspid/29318

  • Frewer LJ, Howard C, Shepherd R (1997) Public concerns in the United Kingdom about general and specific applications of genetic engineering: risk, benefit, and ethics. Sci Technol Hum Values 22:98–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Georges M (2001) Recent progress in livestock genomics and potential impact on breeding programs. Theriogenology 55:15–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giddings G, Allison G, Brooks D (2000) Transgenic plants as factories for biopharmaceuticals. Nat Biotechnol 18:1151–1155

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta PK, Tsuchiya T (1991) Chromosome engineering in plants: genetics, breeding evolution. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagio T, Blowers AD, Earle ED (1991) Stable transformation of sorghum cell cultures after bombardment with DNA-coated microprojectiles. Plant Cell Rep 10:260–264

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heyman Y, Vignon X, Chesne P et al (1998) Cloning in cattle: from embryo splitting to somatic nuclear transfer. Reprod Nutr Dev 38:595–603

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson LA (2000) Sexing mammalian sperm for production of offspring: the state-of-the-art. Anim Reprod Sci 60:93–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Key S, Julian KC, Pascal MW (2008) Genetically modified plants and human health. J R Soc Med 101(6):290–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleter GA, Van-der-Krieken WM, Kok EJ (2001) Regulation and exploitation of genetically modified crops. Nat Biotechnol 19:1105–1110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larkin P, Scowcroft W (1981) Somaclonal variation: a novel source of variability from cell culture for plant improvement. Theor Appl Genet 60:197–204

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Laron Z, Anin S, Klipper-Aurbach Y, Klinger B (1992) Effects of insulin-like growth factor on linear growth, head circumference, and body fat in patients with Laron-type dwarfism. Lancet 339(8804):1258–1261

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luchansky JB, Muriana PM, Klaenhammer TR (1988) Application of electroporation for transfer of plasmid DNA to Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Listeria, Pediococcus, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, and Propionibacterium. Mol Microbiol 2:637–646

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lukaszewski AJ (2004) Chromosome manipulation and crop improvement. In: Encyclopedia of plant and crop science. Marcel Dekker, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • McCullum C, Benbrook C, Knowles L et al (2003) Application of modern biotechnology to food and agriculture: food systems perspective. J Nutr Educ Behav 35(6):319–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohan M, Nair S, Bhagwat A et al (1997) Genome mapping, molecular markers and marker-assisted selection in crop plants. Mol Breed 3(2):87–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morris EJ (2011) A semi-quantitative approach to GMO risk-benefit analysis. Transgenic Res 20(5):1055–1071

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NAAB (National Association of Animal Breeders) (2000) Breakthroughs in biotechnology: research equips producers with an array of genetic improvement tools. Available via http://www.naab-css.org/education/biotech.html

  • Newkirk GF (1980) Review of the genetics and the potential for selective breeding of commercially important bivalves. Aquaculture 19(3):209–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Notter DR (1999) The importance of genetic diversity in livestock populations of the future. Anim Sci J77:61–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NRC (National Research Council) (2002) Anim biotechnology: science-based concerns. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer TD, Thompson AR, Miller AD (1989) Production of human factor IX in animals by genetically modified skin fibroblasts: potential therapy for hemophilia B. Blood 73:438–445

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patnaik RS, Louiem S, Gavrilovic V et al (2002) Genome shuffling of Lactobacillus for improved acid tolerance. Nat Biotechnol 20:707–712

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel D (2000) Genetically modified crops and the agroecosystem: comments on “Genetically modified crops: risks and promise” by Gordon Conway. Conserv Ecol 4(1):1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel D, Hunter MS, Lagro JA et al (1989) Benefits and risks of genetic engineering in agriculture. Bioscience 39(9):606–614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pina A, Calderon IL, Benitex T (1986) Intergeneric hybrids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces fermentati obtained by protoplast fusion. Appl Environ Microbiol 51:995–1003

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Regal P (1999) A brief history of biotechnology risk debates and policies in the United States. Occasional paper. Edmonds Institute, Edmonds, Washington, USA. [online] URL: http://www.edmonds-institute.org/regal.html

  • Rissler J, Mellon M (1996) The ecological risks of engineered crops. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Riva GA, Gonzalez-Cabrera J, Vazquez-Padronm R et al (1998) Agrobacterium tumefaciens: a natural tool for plant transformation. Electron J Biotechnol 1(3):1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowland GG, McHughen AG, Bhatty RS (1989) Andro flax. CJPS 69:911–913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowland GG, McHughen AG, Hormis YA et al (2002) CDC Normandy flax. CJPS 82:425–426

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sebastian SA, Chaleff RS (1987) Soybean mutants with increased tolerance for sulfonylurea herbicides. Crop Sci 27:948–952

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shankar LP, Tom E, Dieter D et al (2013) Asymmetric somatic plant hybridization: status and applications. Am J Plant Sci 4(8):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma HC, Crouch JH, Sharma KK et al (2002) Applications of biotechnology for crop improvement: prospects and constraint. Plant Sci 163:381–395

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen X, Gmitter FG (2011) Immature embryo rescue and culture. Methods Mol Biol 710:75–92

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stephanopoulos G (2007) Challenges in engineering microbes for biofuels production. Science 315(5813):801–804

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swanson EB, Couman MP, Brown GL et al (1988) The characterization of herbicide tolerant plants in Brassica napus after in-vitro selection of microspores and protoplasts. Plant Cell Rep 7(2):83–87

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor SL, Hefle SL (2002) Genetically engineering foods: implications for food allergy. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2:249–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trujillo AJ, Guamis B, Carretero C (1997) Proteolysis of goat casein by calf rennet. Int Dairy J 7((8–9):579–588

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tufarelli V, Selvaggi M, Laudadio V (2015) Genetically modified feeds in poultry diet: safety, performance, and product quality. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 55(4):562–569

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uzogara SG (2000) The impact of genetic modification of human foods in the 21st century: a review. Biotechnol Adv 18(3):179–206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vasil IK (2003) The science and politics of plant biotechnology – a personal perspective. Nat Biotechnol 21:849–851

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Viigipuu K, Kallio P (2004) Microinjection of living adherent cells by using a semi-automatic microinjection system. Altern Lab Anim 32(4):417–423

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walker B, Lonsdale M (2000) Genetically modified organisms at the crossroads: comments on “genetically modified crops: risks and promise” by gordon conway. Conserv Ecol 4(1):12 Available via URL: http://www.consecol.org/vol4/iss1/art12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker MR, Rapley R (1997) Genetically engineered animals, in route maps in gene technology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444313611.ch82

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfenbarger LL, Naranjo SE, Lundgren GJ, Bitzer JR, Watrud SL (2008) Bt crop effects on functional guilds of non-target arthropods: a meta-analysis. PLOS ONE 3(5):18–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yauk C, Polyzos A, Rowan-Carroll A (2008) Germ-line mutations, DNA damage, and global hypermethylation in mice exposed to particulate air pollution in an urban/industrial location. PNAS 105(2):605–610

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Protein Research Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Integral University, Lucknow, India

    Roohi, Kulsoom Bano & Naushin Bano

  2. Department of Chemistry, Gagan College of Management and Technology, Aligarh, India

    Mohammed Rehan Zaheer

  3. Department of Biochemistry, University of Hail, Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Mohammed Kuddus

Authors
  1. Roohi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kulsoom Bano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mohammed Rehan Zaheer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Naushin Bano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mohammed Kuddus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammed Kuddus

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Roohi, Bano, K., Zaheer, M.R., Bano, N., Kuddus, M. (2018). Potential of Agri-Biotech Engineering: Rebellion Against Food Insecurity. In: Kuddus, M. (eds) Enzymes in Food Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1933-4_20

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation