For many centuries biotechnology has been used by humans, although
the first biotechnology product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) came out in 1996. Since then, over 120 biologists have been
approved. In order to tackle biomedical questions, experts like Alex Oppenheim Omaha have been integrating the sciences and bringing new perspectives from
various fields. In addition to years of work, for a successful development of a
new biotechnology product it is also required interaction among different kinds
of scientists. This way it is possible to develop effective solutions to
today’s complex problems.
Over the last few years, modern biotechnology has had a significant
progress. Namely, as Alex Oppenheim Omaha shares, in just one decade, biotech
managed to grow from being the main area of research in academic laboratories,
to being an enabling technology incorporated into many different sectors.
Biotechnology has so far been concentrated in the medical field and revolves
around drug-directed researches by big pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies. The second largest application of biotech is in agriculture, which
compared to its larger counterpart, has captured the public spotlight to a much
greater degree. The last major sector of biotechnology application lies in
industry and environmental problems. However, this sector remains to be underappreciated,
lacking attention from the media, as well as from financial and policy outlooks.
There are number of ways in which biotechnology can help us
improve the production of food, especially in developing countries. As a
biological sciences graduate, Alex Oppenheim Omaha states that biotech can help
with food’s natural flavors and colors, add new vitamins, nutritional supplements, improve enzymes and
emulsifiers, provide more options for evaluating food safety, allow more waste
treatment options, as well as safer and “greener” manufacturing processes. In
order to create healthier foods, biotechnology is using the biology of taste.
As we all know it, there are five different taste categories: sweet, salty,
sour, bitter and savory. Taste receptors allow humans to identify foods with essential
minerals and nutrients, and now thanks to modern science and technology breakthroughs,
researchers have been able to come up with new ingredients that enhance the taste
of foods, and produce food with less sugar or salt, without giving up on the
pleasing taste.
