“Biotechnology boom may pave a golden path for India.” Discuss.

The controlled beneficial use of biological agents such as micro organism or cellular components is known as Biotechnology. Synthesis of various chemical and bio-products and derived from multiple purposes through the use of Biotechnology and its branches.

Applications of Biotechnology are as follows:

1. Health: This technology has given new dimensions in the fields of medicine & pharmacy. New medicine including production of steroids, vitamins, insulin and anti-biotics are gained by this.
2. Food: Efficient grain storage by eliminating pest & rodents, increased nutritive value of foods, enhancement of flavour, fermented foods through enzyme engineering, mushrooms cultivation food algae etc.
3. Agriculture Animal Husbandry: Genetically Modified Varieties of plants and animals are produced. These new breeds are with desired qualities and characteristics and have increased production in agriculture and animal husbandry.

Apart from these in cloning, DNA finger printing, Biomass, Biofertilizer, Bio-pesticides are also the produced by Biotechnology.

Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including health care (medical), crop production and agriculture, non food (industrial) uses of crops and other products (e.g. biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels), and environmental uses.

A series of derived terms have been coined to identify several branches of biotechnology; for example:

• Bioinformatics ( An interdisciplinary field which addresses biological problems using computational techniques, and makes the rapid organization as well as analysis of biological data possible.
• Blue Biotechnology (Marine and Aquatic Applications of Biotechnology)
• Green Biotechnology (Agricultural Processes)
• Red Biotechnology (Medical Processes)
• White biotechnology (Industrial Biotechnology)

Explore more:

• Biotechnology
• Bioproducts

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