GREEN BIOTECHNOLOGY:

POTENTIAL FOR SEVERAL

SECTOR OF AGRICULTURE
Green biotechnology decreases dependence of agriculture
upon mashines and chemicals by using practices that
are enviorment friendly and contribute to increased quality
and quantity of yield.
Among the applications for green biotechnology, the
development of transgenic and genetically modified
organisms , power generation and the prevention of
environmental pollution by the production of biopolymers
from renewable resources . Applications are described in
detail in upcoming slides .
 APPLICATIONS
OF
GREEN
BIOTECHNOLOGY
 TRANSGENIC OR GENETICALLY MODIFIED
ORGANISMS

• The main contribution of modern biotechnology to agriculture is the

possibility of creating new species by the transfer of genes between
different organisms to develop a plant of technological or economic
interest. The first GM plants were developed in 1983.The main
characteristics of GM crops are insect resistance and herbicide
tolerance, increasing productivity and plant tolerance to adverse soil
and climate conditions . Roundup Ready soybean a herbicide-tolerant
GM crop, developed with the introduction of a glyphosate resistance
gene of Agrobacterium tumefaciens bacteria in its DNA makes the
soybean resistant to the RoundupR herbicide. This herbicide, through
its glyphosate component, kills weeds by blocking the enolpyruvyl
shikimate-3-phosphate synthase enzyme responsible for the
production of essential amino acids for growth and survival of most
plants .
• Bt cotton and Bt maize, insect resistant crops, have
genes encoding insecticidal activity from the
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis The proteins
derived from these genes are specific in confer
resistance to certain Lepidoptera species. Before
they can cause damage to the crops, caterpillars
feeding on these GM crops ingest the Bt protein,
which then acts on the gut epithelial cells to
promoting osmotic rupture and death. The main
appeal of these products is to facilitate the
management of the crop, reduce production costs
and increase the value in Integrated Pest
Management programs
POWER GENERATION USING GREEN
BIOTECHNOLOGY TOOLS
• Green biotechnology operates by increasing productivity and the
development of adaptive plants with greater energy potential,
seeking, among other things, the production of biofuels .New
research has been developed to increase the production of ethanol.
An example is the improvement of sugarcane, where green
biotechnology hopes to develop clones with high productivity, high
sucrose content, drought tolerance, high content of cellular fibres
and walls that are easily broken, so as to promote the production of
ethanol and reduce environmental impacts. In addition to the
genetic improvement of plants for the production of ethanol, green
biotechnology is also active in the genetic improvement of raw
materials for biodiesel production, such as the soy and castor
beans, seeking the selection of genotypes resistant to major pests
and diseases specific to the climate and altitude, and the stimulation
of early growth and develop plants suitable for different harvest
technologies, especially grains that have higher oil contents.
 Production of biopolymers using green
biotechnology
• The biopolymers may be of plant origin, such as algae ( agar, carrageenan),
seeds (guar gum and locust) and trees or their exudates (gum karaya and
gum arabic). Other sources are microbial biosynthesis products (xanthan
gum, gellan) or chemical modification of natural polysaccharides (pectin,
gelatin, starch, sodium). Just as in the production of biofuels, green
biotechnology is active in plant breeding for the production of biopolymers.
The modification of starch from vegetable sources such as corn and potato
starches can be employed to obtain raw materials that possess greater
stability to storage conditions and less susceptibility to variations in
humidity and that can be degraded faster .The most important biopolymers
are polylactide, polyhydroxyalkanoate, starch polymers and xanthan
gum .The biopolymer industry is researching the use of non-food crops and
by-products such as straw and bagasse (second and 3 G raw materials) for
its production using biotechnological processes.
• The price is expected to decrease from 20% to 25% in the next
5 years, whereas the price of polymers obtained from oil is
expected to increase as a consequence of the increased
demand and oil prices . Thus, rapid population growth has
increased the demand for food, energy, fuel, medicines and
various materials . To supply this demand, agriculture is of
fundamental importance in providing a large amount of raw
materials used by industries. Green biotechnology can
contribute positively to the increased supply of products of
the utmost necessity, improving the quality and safety, and
reducing environmental impacts. It acts by creating better
quality raw materials, more resistant to attack by pests and
furnishes higher yields, with better quality and significantly
increased production, as well as reducing the time and costs
of operation and other characteristics.
BLUE BIOTECHNOLOGY:
MARINE BIODIVERSITY AS SOURCES
OF ESSENTIAL COMPOUNDS
• Blue biotechnology or marine biotechnology seeks to explore and
use marine biodiversity as a source of new products,
bioprospecting the environment and using molecular biology and
microbial ecology in marine organisms to obtain beneficial
advances for humanity .The proteins and enzymes from marine
organisms are extremely important for industrial biotechnology,
with a potential to contribute to the development of new
processes in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The
biopolymers of marine origin, for example, have been used in
biodegradable plastics, pharmaceutical and medical products, bio-
adhesives and dental biomaterials.
APPLICATIONS OF
BLUE
BIOTECHNOLOGY
POTENTIAL FOR NOVEL BIOACTIVE
COMPOUNDS PRODUCTION
• Exploration of the marine environment has resulted in the discovery of several
substances from marine organisms, where the production of drugs becomes a
reality at pharmaceutical industries. Among these substances, the carotenoids,
polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins and enzymes can be emphasized, as well
as bromoditerpene, gambieric acid and the AD marinomycines, among others.
These products can, for example, be applied in the pharmaceutical industry in
the form of antioxidants, antibiotics, analgesics, antitumor, antiinflammatory
and antifungal agents. Among the numerous marine organisms with a
potential for the production of bioactive compounds, the macro and
microalgae, sponges, fungi and marine yeast can be highlighted. The bioactive
compounds can be produced from cultures using photo bioreactors under
controlled conditions (CO2, light, nutrients and physicochemical parameters)
or be induced by genetic transformations. Chemical methods, enzymatic
hydrolysis, extraction of natural products with solvents and mechanical
pressure are employed as methods for extraction of the bioactive compounds.
• Most of the bioactive compounds from marine
organisms are still in the research and clinical trials
stage, as stated earlier. These studies can take years until
the substances are approved by competent authorities,
but some drugs have been incorporated and approved
by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), as is the
case with PrialtR analgesic (Jazz Pharmaceuticals, USA),
YondelisR (Pharma Mar S.A, Madrid, Spain) antitumoral ,
the Cytosar-UR (Upjohn, USA) anticancer agent. Each of
these drugs has already been marketed. The bioactive
compound, application and the marine organism from
which the compound is extracted are presented in Table
4
FOOD INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS
• In the food industry, marine biotechnology is mainly used for the production
of additives and pigments from cyanobacteria, macroalgae and, especially,
marine microalgae. Marine microalgae are capable of producing
polyunsaturated fatty acids ,lutein ,astaxanthin and β-carotene ,while
cyanobacteria were reported as producer of phycocyanin. Is noteworthy that
the process of obtaining compounds of interest from the algal biomass
depends on the raw material used and the product of interest. The
conditions of the process and the techniques employed may vary from case
to case. A large part of the microalgae applied to food products are grown
for biomass production and subsequent application. Applications may
include nutritional supplementation, mainly by lipids (glycerol and fatty
acids), carbohydrates (sugars, starch, cellulose and other polysaccharides)
or pigments (chlorophyll, carotenoids, etc.) In most cases, the biomass
produced for food applications is applied in powder form. Also, the health
benefits (prebiotic effects, mineral fortification or supplementation) can be
combined with the attractiveness of the product for the consumer. Few
years ago, countries like Germany, France, Japan, USA, China and
Thailand applied the powder microalgae in pasta, breads and yogurts.
• However, there are still some challenges
related to the production of algal biomass
because of the dependence on factors such as
light intensity, temperature, pH, nutrients and
agitation. The development of research
related to the interaction of these factors can
reflect directly on the optimization of the
cultivation of microalgae and, consequently,
on the compounds synthesized by the algae.
COSMETIC INDUSTRY
• Industry, presenting some new compounds to the production of cosmetics. Some
of these cosmetics in which marine compounds are incorporated have been
obtained biotechnologically and are already being marketed. As an example, the
DG-DNA ComplexR is one of the components in the Micrococcus lysate enzymatic
extract. The Micrococcus is derived from the soil and oceans and has a high
resistance to UV radiation. Moreover, it contains the UV-endonuclease enzyme,
which accelerates the recovery from sun damage and acts in DNA repair. Currently,
this compound is included in face creams .The production of compounds used in
the cosmetic formulation is usually performed by isolation from a species of
microalgae or other marine organism, followed by cultivation in
photobioreactors .Several other produce compounds from marine biotechnology
for applications in cosmetics, such as Mibelle BiochemistryR and GreenaltechR .
Although there are several companies of the cosmetic sector investing in marine
biotechnology, few scientific studies exist in the area. Therefore, these studies
should be encouraged to improve production techniques and the application of
the compounds synthesized from marine organisms
BIOFUELS ORIGINATED FROM MARINE
RESOURCES
• Biofuels of marine origin are derived from macro- and
microalgae and have emerged as an alternative to the use of
land plants .Being produced from marine algae, they also have
the advantage of been easily grown water, do not compete for
agricultural areas and do not require the use of chemical
fertilizers .They have high productivity and do not use food-
based raw materials. The yields of marine biofuels are 10 to 100
times greater than the common biofuels produced from land
plants per unit area. However, despite the high yield, the high
costs of these processes (transesterification, centrifugation,
filtration, extraction, fermentation, etc.) represent a challenge
to the economic viability of biofuels of marine origin
• The most extensively produced biofuel by marine biotechnology
is bioethanol, known as 3 G ethanol. It is produced from algal
biomass, primarily through the fermentation process, and it has
received more emphasis than other biofuels produced from
algae Processes using various species of marine microalgae for
biofuel production. Thus, the potential and increasing
importance of the use and application of blue biotechnology in
the drug, food, cosmetics and biofuel industries is clear. Despite
being a relatively new area, marine biotechnology has achieved
good results and has demonstrated the feasibility of its
application. In most sectors, many currently marketed products
involve the inclusion of marine biotechnology. However, a great
opportunity for expansion could be observed in all the sectors if
the investments to improve the techniques and processes
continue progressing
 CONCLUSION
• The potential of biotechnology is the focus of the development of several agroindustry
sectors, and its tools have enabled the rapid evolution of numerous products and
processes of commercial and economic interest. In this sense, one of the new divisions of
biotechnology has been carried out by color, aiming to categorize according to the sector of
application, the biotechnology tools. The white biotechnology seeks the production of
products of industrial interest, such as chemical bulks, amino acids, polymers, vitamins and
much more using new development processes with high yields and mild process
conditions, which can lead to a greater economy during the production. Meanwhile, the
application of green biotechnology in agriculture has increased crop production, food
diversity and energy generation, always aiming at quality and reducing negative impacts to
the environment. The use of these technologies has led to an evolution in agricultural
practices, besides being a technology with ample growth potential. Finally, blue
biotechnology aims to explore and apply marine biodiversity into new products. Themain
applications of these technologies are related to the production of antioxidants, antibiotics,
antitumor, among others, at the pharmaceutical industry; facial creams at cosmetics;
additives and pigments for the food industry and 3 G ethanol for the biofuels industries.
Despite being relatively new, blue biotechnology has a promising twist within the field of
biotechnology and has good growth prospects.