Food wastage is considered one of the major issues in this fast world. The very short shelf life is one of the main reasons for this problem of perishable items. However, with more advancement in biotechnology to extend the shelf life of food, a new revolution has come out in ways of storing, consuming, and preserving our food. The purpose of biotechnology in food is an application of scientific methodology to devise innovative means that will reduce food spoilage, improving its quality without undue wastage. This article is going to discuss how biotechnology changes the ways in which food remains fresh for a long period of time, retaining its nutritious value.
What is biotechnology?
Biotechnology can be defined as a technology involving the use of biological processes, organisms, or systems in developing products designed to improve lives. The more original meaning of the term, with regard to the production of food, refers to the manipulation of natural processes in order to enhance taste, texture, safety, and shelf life. More modern biotechnology achieves such aims by the application of genetic engineering, fermentation, and uses of enzymes.
Why Emphasis on Extension of Shelf Life?
One-third of all foods produced in the world are lost at one stage or another between production and ingestion. Most losses arise from spoilage before consumption. Shortened shelf life results in economic losses to producers and probable environmental damages. Extended shelf life reduces food wastage and provides global food security by saving natural resources and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Biotechnological Approaches to Food Shelf Life Extension
1. Genetic Modification (GM):
Genetic engineering allows the scientist to amplify certain natural characteristics of fruits, vegetables, and other foods. Example:
– Tomatoes: Bioengineered tomatoes do not spoil early because the ripening process of such tomatoes is foolish.
– Bananas: Biotechnology is working to develop bananas that are resistant to fungal infections that are causing early decay.
These have helped keep them fresh for a longer time and made them transportable and storable without much deterioration.
2. Edible Coatings and Films:
Edible Edibles using biotechnology. Edible coatings are prepared with natural substances like polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. They:
Can act as moisture and oxygen barriers
Increase the shelf lifeshelf life spoiling food commodities such as fruits, vegetables, and meat.
A thin layer of biopolymer coating tends to delay processes such as oxidation and spoilage in apples.
3. Application of Microbes:
– Probiotics and Biopreservation: Good bacteria repress the growth of unwanted bacteria and extend the shelf life of meats, dairy products, and fermented products.
– Natural Preservative Agents: Material such as nisin, elaborated by Lactococcus lactis, acts against the growth of microorganisms responsible for the spoilage phenomenon.
4. CRISPR Technology:
CRISPR is a potent means of gene editing that gives the researcher license to subtly change particular genes of crops, hence their ability to resist spoilage. Example:
Crops resistant to fungal infection
Fruits whose processes of ripening and browning are delayed
5. Examples of products with enzymes:
Examples of products of products changed through biotechnology, which extends baked goods shelf life, and for dairy, there is lipase. In each of these instances, enzymes digest the food so that little opportunity to spoil is realised with no taste or texture implications.
Benefits of Biotechnology in Food Preservation
1. Food Quality:
It reduces the incidence of infection due to food by eliminating its pathogens and other injurious bacteria during processing or storage.
2. Reduced Food Waste:
The more useful the foodstuff, the less landfill waste adds to the sustainability of the world.
3. World Food Supply:
With biotechnology, even over long distances of transportation, food does not decompose and hence is easily shared around the world in terms of resources.
4. Ecological Impact:
Less waste means less food would be produced, and thus there would be minimal ecological deterioration emanating from production processes in food industries.
Challenges and Ethical Considerations
Even while biotechnology is promising much, the following are some of the issues that have to be addressed:
Public Perception: People have been sceptical due to misinformation regarding genetically modified organisms.
The various constraints to food biopreservation techniques include:
Regulatory Approvals: Long testing and regulatory approvals keep the biotechnological inventions from reaching commercialisation.
Cost: The cost associated with developing and implementing a biotechnological solution is beyond the reach of small-scale producers.
Future of Biotechnology in Food Preservation
The future of the shelf life of food items looks bright with biotechnology. Nanotechnology, AI-assisted biotech research, and sustainable bioprocesses are some of the technologies that will mould the existing methodologies in times to come. Cooperative work amongst governments, researchers, and industry players accelerates innovations that benefit both consumers and nature.
In conclusion, biotechnology, being not a technology anymore but a need of today’s time, helps in increasing the life span of food items. Continuous rising demands of food and environmentalist issues basically require solutions so that life may be sustained on this planet. The new face of the ways food has been preserved and consumed till today ranges from genetically modified crops to the use of natural preservatives. Such value addition may therefore be offering the consumers an enhanced possibility of a healthier planet with less burden of food wastage. An ability to create a difference together for betterment using biotechnology.
