Biotechnology is based on biology and biotechnology that help improve our lives and the health of our planet. Biotechnology can convert non-edible and perishable food items to palatable and longer shelf life food, which is protected and improved quality in terms of nutrition and physicochemical and sensory properties. Recently biotechnology has many advances in the food industry to characterize the great role of food biotechnology. There is cereal processing, fruit and vegetable processing, beverages, oils and fats, dairy, poultry, and confectionary processing.  The food industry represents a great role in food biotechnology. Biotechnology is one of the advanced technology that has the potential to solve problems of malnutrition, hunger, and poverty in the world.

1. Biotechnology

Biotechnology is the use of microorganisms for the preservation of food and for the production of a range of value-added products such as enzymes, flavor compounds, vitamins, microbial cultures, and food ingredients. Biotechnology applications in the food-processing sector, therefore, target the selection and manipulation of micro-organisms with the objective of improving process control, product quality, safety, consistency, and yield, while increasing process efficiency.

2. Food Processing

Food processing technologies convert relatively bulky, perishable, and typically inedible raw materials into more useful shelf-stable, and palatable foods or potable beverages. Food Processing contributes to food security by minimizing waste and losses in the food chain and by increasing food availability and marketability. Food is also processed in order to improve its quality and safety.

Biotechnology is used in food-processing operations, which may include cleaning, size reduction, processing, soaking, baking, cooking frying, and storage.

• Flavors, amino acids, and sweeteners

Volatile organic chemicals such as flavors and aromas are the sensory principles of many consumer products using biotechnology.

3. Food Preservation

Food Preservation is the process of minimizing the biochemical, physical, and nutritional damage to food. It is estimated that a large amount of food products is lost each year due to spoilage. In each step of food processing contamination may take place to reduce this microbial contamination biotechnology techniques are applied. So there is some Biotechnological technique used for food preservation. Many food industries represent the immense role of food biotechnology. Plants and animals are used to enhance taste, shell life, nutrition, and quality of food. They used yeast and Bacteria to produce enzymes in the food industry.

4. Biotechnology Used in Food Industry

Biotechnology has a key role in the food processing Industry. There for use in food processing and preservation. Biotechnology is used in the food industry. Especially in cereal processing, fruit and vegetable processing, beverages, oils and fats, dairy, poultry, and confectionary processing. Processed foods are fermented foods either natural or intentional fermentation adding microbial strain.

Therefore, quality is most important for the food industry. Biotechnology can improve the edibility, consistency, and shelf life of food by preventing the growth of unwanted toxin-producing microorganisms naturally present in foods, producing microbial agents to kill undesirable microorganisms.

4.1 Biotechnology tools used for food preservation

• Use of High-Pressure Processing:It is a non-thermal and highly capable preservation technique. Basically, focus on inactivating those bacteria which are responsible for food disease.  In this technique, high pressure (100-1000 MPa) is applied to inhibit bacterial growth without disturbing the texture, taste, nutrition, and mineral quality of food. It is safe for both types of liquid as well as for the solid product.

• Hurdles Technology: It is a combination of different preservative methods like the use of high temperature in processing, low temperature for storage, increase acidity, low water activity, reduce redox potential, and the presence of different preservatives to favor the growth of desirable bacteria and inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

• Bacteriocins: The complex protein, added during food processing; these proteins are active against food-spoiling microbes.

• Fermentation starter:Fermentation is used for food preservation. The fermentation process increases the dietary value of the food along with the biosynthesis of vitamins, necessary amino acids, food flavoring, additives, preservatives, and proteins by improving protein and fiber digestibility.

The fermentation products as well as beneficial bacteria are generally processed to control spoilage and reduce pathogens inactively. In the fermentation technique complex material is converted into a simple substance with the help of an enzyme. In this process lactic acid is produced which decreases the pH of the medium, due to acidic medium and low water activity, preventing biological growth in the medium to protect prolonged preservation of food. The dairy industry used these methods. Ferment products are beverages, vinegar fermented vegetables (Garbage).

• Radiation: In this process, food products are exposed under the ϒ-radiation having frequency 0.1-0.5 key. Radiation causes metabolic changes to increase the shelf life.

4.2 Products preserved through Biotechnology

• Meat and Seafood: Most of the world’s population nutritionally depends on meat (flash of animal) and seafood. Due to high consumer demand and low shelf-life quality its preserved. The frozen meat treated with the antifreeze protein showed less drip loss, less protein loss, and a high score on juiciness by sensory evaluation.
• Milk and dairy product:Milk is a good source of calcium and minerals, considered a complete health drink. Pasteurization, sterilization, and Ultra Heat Treatment(UHT) are generally used to decrease microbial growth.  Although, it will not apply a completely sterile milk product. Hence use of Bacteriocins seems a good approach to improve the safety and quality of milk or dairy products. Example – Yogurt, Curd Production
• Fruits and Vegetables: Soft overcoats of fruits and vegetables are responsible for the damage to their nutrient value. Controlled and modified atmospheric storage, active packaging, minimal processing, hurdle technology, fogging technology, and ϒ radiation are used for fruit and vegetable preservation.
• Fermentation Product: The genus Lactobacillus is a heterogeneous group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) important in food fermentation. The ability to colonize a variety of environments is a direct consequence of the wide metabolic versatility of this group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Therefore, lactobacilli have been used in food preservation, as starters for dairy products, fermented vegetables, fish, and sausages. Lactobacilli have also been proposed as probiotics and microbial cell factories for the production of nutraceuticals. However, a wide range of applications of lactobacilli in food biotechnology remains potential.
• Genetically Modified Organisms in Preservation: Microorganisms are an important part of the processing system during the production of fermented foods. Also on the degradation or inactivation of natural toxins (e.g. cyanogenic glucosides in cassava), mycotoxins (in cereal fermentations), and anti-nutritional factors (e.g. phytates).

5. Conclusion

Biotechnology has the potential for increasing food production, and food preservation and improve food processing in food industries. Biotechnology is applied to food processing to enhance properties such as the taste, aroma, shelf-life, texture, and nutritional value of foods. Technologies applied in the processing of food must assure the quality and safety of the final product.  The food industry represents a great role in food biotechnology. Biotechnology has the potential to solve many health and nutrition-related problems of people in developing countries and the third world.

References

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