The History of Biotechnology

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    Biotechnology is one of biology branches that studies the living organisms utilizations, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and so on, as well as products from living beings, such as enzymes, antibiotics, and so on, to produce goods and services that can be used by humans. Biotechnology can be used in various fields, such as agriculture, livestock, medicine/health, and so on. Some examples of biotechnology are antibiotics, DNA profiling, DNA cloning, transgenesis, and many more. Biotechnology has developed over time. The development of biotechnology certainly has one goal, to make human life easier. Biotechnology itself began when humans started to improve their quality of life by utilizing biological agents.    

    Later research revealed that microbes like bacteria, yeast, or mold hydrolyze carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen, which is ultimately what causes fermentation. Products are created as a result of this procedure (food and drink). As a result, since fermentation wasn't previously understood, it may have been discovered by accident. Some ancient societies believed that fermentation was a gift from their gods. Louis Pasteur published the first description of the scientific evidence for fermentation in the late 1800s. He gave an example of the germ theory, illustrating how microorganisms may survive and how this affects the fermentation process. The work of Pasteur has influenced several fields of science. Several traditional medications were once employed as biotechnology products, such as honey, which was used as an ointment for wounds and to treat a variety of respiratory conditions. Penicillin, the first antibiotic, was isolated from mold by Alexander Fleming in 1928. With antibiotics having greater potential and being more potent than prior medications, this discovery altered the therapies that were accessible.

    In the 1920s, Chaim Weizmann utilized Clostridium acetobutylicum to convert starch into butanol and acetone, marking the beginning of the synthesis of valuable chemicals by biological processes (the acetone thus produced was used as an essential component of explosives during World War I). Biotechnology advancements from the start of the eighteenth century tended to bind industry and agriculture together. The use of excess agricultural products to serve industry as an alternative to imports or petrochemicals became increasingly prevalent in the 1930s as a result of the development of biotechnology. The advent of World War II brought the manufacture of penicillin. The production of antibiotics from micro-organisms became possible when Fleming discovered penicillin, which was later produced at a large scale from cultures of Penicillium notatum (this proved useful for the treatment of wounded soldiers during World War II). The focus of biotechnology shifted to pharmaceuticals. The Cold War years were ruled by work on micro-organisms for the preparation for biological products along with antibiotics and fermentation processes. 

   The development of biotechnology can be divided into broad stages or categories, including:

• Ancient biotechnology (8000–4000 BC): Early history as related to food and shelter; includes domestication of animals.
• Classical biotechnology (2000 BC; 1800–1900 AD): Built on ancient biotechnology; fermentation promotes food production and medicine.
• 1900–1953: Genetics.
• 1953–1976: DNA research, science explodes.
• Modern biotechnology (1977): Manipulates genetic information in organisms; genetic engineering; various technologies enable us to improve crop yield and food quality in agriculture and to produce a broader array of products in industries.

    Biotechnology in Indonesia has been developing for a long time, for example in the manufacture of cheese, tempeh, oncom and so on. However, modern biotechnology only developed in 1985 when the Minister of Education and Culture allowed the emergence of biotechnology programs such as agricultural biotechnology IPB, health biotechnology at UGM and industrial biotechnology at ITB Bandung. The development of biotechnology in Indonesia tends to be slow due to several factors. The first factor is the lack of research funds in the field of biotechnology. Biotechnology research is needed to increase the quantity and quality of products as well as knowledge about biotechnology. Another factor is the low level of human resources, facilities and government policies that seem to lengthen the process of marketing genetically engineered products.

    In agriculture, biotechnology is a new tool in crop improvement science. This technique uses cell and gene (DNA) merging/connecting technology to improve plants, or to produce superior new varieties. However, the term agricultural biotechnology is also used for processes other than gene splicing. For example micropropagation, diagnostics, biological fertilizers, biopesticides.

Resources

>Bhatia, S., 2018. History, Scope and Development of Biotechnology. In: Introduction ti Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. Bristol: IOP Publishing, pp. 1-61

>Maheswari, O., 2021. Panduan Bioteknologi Pertanian. 1st ed. Yogyakarta: DIVA Press

>Wasilah, U., Rohimah, S., Su’udi, M. 2019. Perkembangan Bioteknologi di Indonesia. Rekayasa, 12(2):85-90

>Wahyono, P. 2001. Bioteknologi, Sebuah Ilmu Masa Depan yang Menjanjikan. Topik Kita

>Yuwono, T., 2019. Bioteknologi Pertanian. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press