Beer, Bread, and Cheese: The Tasty Side of Biotechnology

Biotechnology sounds like something new, less than a 100 years old. It isn't, it is probably as old as agriculture, dating back to at least 8000 BC. And it all started with fermentation, a set of chemical reactions carried out by microorganisms to break down glucose to obtain usable energy. Chief among these microorganisms are yeasts that can transform glucose into ethanol in the absence of oxygen, a process called glycolysis, or into carbon dioxide in the presence of oxygen, a process called respiration. These two different lifestyles have made yeast an indispensable companion of every culture or civilization producing bread or alcoholic beverages. But yeasts tell only part of the long story of biotechnology: much smaller microorganisms, bacteria, have also been helping humans transform, enhance and preserve foods. Cheese, tea, coffee, and many other popular foods are all fermentation products. Biotechnology started by being delicious.