Page 5-11 | Meet Corbion | July 2013
Each revolution marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was impacted in some way or another. Biotechnology will be the next in line.
What lies ahead in the next decade? And the years to follow? Mineral oil depletion, food scarcity, product safety matters, and pollution are already at the top of the agenda today, and will not disappear. At the same time, consumers increasingly demand sustainable products. Biotechnology is the answer to all these challenges as it enables the production of products from renewable resources in a sustainable and competitive way.
Around the world, the demand for biotechnology capabilities is growing and we see an increasing demand for high-quality biobased products at a fair price, produced in a commercially sustainable way while minimizing the impact on the environment and the food value chain at affordable prices.
Biotechnology: the 4th industrial revolution
Louis Pasteur
For example, in brewing, malted grains (containing enzymes) convert starch from grains into sugar and specific yeasts are added to produce beer. In this process, the carbohydrates in the grains are broken down into alcohol. Lactic-acid-producing bacteria are used for making yogurt, molds and (lactic acid) bacteria for making cheese, and yeasts for making wine.
Biotechnology brought industry and agriculture together at the beginning of the 20th century. Fermentation processes were developed that turned starch into acetone and paint solvents to be used on automobiles. The accumulated knowledge of cell structure, biochemistry, and heredity opened the door to modern biotechnology.
Biotechnology finds its origin nearly 10,000 years ago, with early agrarian societies collecting seeds of plants with the most desirable traits for planting the next year. As far back as 6000 B.C., people discovered the basic form of fermentation in producing beer, wine and bread. Fermentation is a metabolic process (chemical reactions that occur in living organisms, for example digestion and the transport of substances into and between different cells) in which an organism converts a carbohydrate, such as starch or sugar, into alcohol or an acid. Although the process of fermentation was not fully understood until Louis Pasteur's work in 1857, discovering micro-organisms as well as pasteurization, it was the first use of biotechnology to convert a food source into another form.
A bird’s eye view on the origin of biotechnology
After steam powered technology (1st industrial revolution), the information technology revolution (2nd industrial revolution), and the energy revolution (3rd industrial revolution, in its early stages as we speak), we believe that biotechnology will become the 4th industrial revolution.
Biotechnology:
the 4th industrial revolution
Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop useful products. For thousands of years, humankind has used biotechnology in agriculture, food production, and medicine to solve problems and improve the quality of life.
A bird’s eye view on the origin of biotechnology