Rolf D. Schmid & Claudia Schmidt-Dannert 
Biotechnology 
An Illustrated Primer

This sequal to the ‘Pocket Guide to Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering’, now in a large format, is ideal for exam preparations as well as serving as a handy reference for professionals, offering a concise and readily understandable overview of all important topics in modern biotechnology and genetic engineering.
The content has been completely updated and restructured to reflect recent trends and developments and to follow the teaching curricula of most academic courses. New entries include glycobiology, algae, epigenetics, pre- and probiotics as well as C-sources and synthetic biology. The textbook still contains entries on the key topics in fermentation, bioprocess engineering and enzyme technology, along with industrial applications of biotechnology, focusing on the fields of food and medicine. The basic terms of microbiology, biochemistry, genetic engineering and cell biology are explained via an attractive layout including full color plates and the corresponding explanatory text. The whole is rounded off by a section on agricultural and environmental topics, as well as safety and ethical aspects.
The result is the number-one primer in biotechnology.

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION
Early developments
Biotechnology today
MICROBIOLOGY
Viruses
Bacteriophages
Microorganisms
Bacteria
Yeasts
Fungi
Algae
Some bacteria of importance for biotechnology
Microorganisms: isolation, preservation, safety
Microorganisms: strain improvement
BIOCHEMISTRY
Biochemistry
Amino acids, peptides, proteins
Enzymes: structure, function, kinetics
Sugars, glycosides, oligo- and polysaccharides
Lipids, membranes, membrane proteins
Metabolism
GENETIC ENGINEERING
DNA: structure
DNA: function
RNA
Genetic engineering: general steps
Preparation of DNA
Other useful enzymes for DNA manipulation
PCR: general method
PCR: laboratory methods
DNA: synthesis and size determination
DNA sequencing
Transfer of foreign DNA in living cells (transformation)
Gene cloning and identification
Gene expression
Gene silencing
Epigenetics
Gene libraries and gene mapping
Genetic maps of prokaryotes
Genetic maps of eukaryotes
Metagenomics
CELL BIOLOGY
Cell biology
Stem cells
Blood cells and immune system
Antibodies
Reporter groups
BIOENGINEERING
Solid state fermentation (SSF)
Growing microorganisms
Growth kinetics and product formation
Fed-batch, continuous and high cell density fermentation
Fermentation technology
Fermentation technology: scale-up
Cultivation of mammalian cells
Mammalian cell bioreactors
Enzyme and cell reactors
Recovery of bioproducts
Recovery of proteins: chromatography
Economic aspects of industrial processes
FOOD AND FOOD ADDITIVES
Alcoholic beverages
Beer
Fermented food
Food and lactic acid fermentation
Prebiotics and probiotics
Baker’s yeast and fodder yeasts
Fodder yeasts from petroleum feedstocks, single cell oil
Amino acids
L-Glutamic acid
D, L-Methionine, L-lysine, and L-threonine
Aspartame TM, L-phenylalanine, and L-aspartic acid
Amino acids via enzymatic transformation
Vitamines
Nucleosides and nucleotides
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
Bio-Ethanol
1-Butanol
Higher alcohols and alkenes
Acetic acid/ vinegar
Citric acid
Lactic acid, 3-hydroxy-propionic acid (3-HP)
Gluconic acid and ‘green’ sugar chemicals
Dicarboxylic acids
Biopolymers: Polyesters
Biopolymers: Polyamides
Polysaccharides
Biosurfactants
Fatty Acids and their esters
ENZYME TECHNOLOGY
Biotransformation
Technical enzymes
Applied enzyme catalysis
Regio- and enantioselective enzymatic synthesis
Enzymes as processing aids
Detergent enzymes
Enzymes for starch hydrolysis
Enzymatic starch hydrolysis
Enzymes and sweeteners
Enzymes for the hydrolysis of cellulose and polyoses
Enzymes in pulp and paper processing
Pectinases
Enzymes and milk products
Enzymes in baking and meat processing
Other enzymes for food products and animal feed
Enzymes in leather and textile treatment
Procedures for obtaining novel technical enzymes
Protein design
ANTIBIOTICS
Antibiotics: occurrence, applications, mechanism of action
Antibiotics: screening, industrial production, and mechanism of action
Antibiotic resistance
ß-Lactam antibiotics: structure, biosynthesis, and mechanism of action
ß-Lactam antibiotics: manufacture
Amino acids and peptide antibiotics
Glycopeptide, lipopeptide, polyether, and nucleoside antibiotics
Aminoglycoside antibiotics
Tetracyclines, chinones, chinolones, and other aromatic antibiotics
Macolide antibiotics
New pathways to antibiotics
PHARMACEUTICALS AND MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
Insulin
Growth hormone and other hormones
Hemoglobin, serum albumin, and lactoferrin
Blood clotting agents
Anticoagulants and thrombolytic agents
Enzyme inhibitors
Interferons
Interleukins and ‘anti-interleukins’
Erythropoietin and other growth factors
Other therapeutic proteins
Monoclonal and catalytic antibodies
Recombinant antibodies
Therapeutic antibodies
Vaccines
Recombinant vaccines
Steroid biotransformations
Diagnostic enzymes
Enzyme tests
Biosensors
Immunoanalysis
Glycobiology
AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
Animal breeding
Embryo transfer, cloned animals
Gene maps
Transgenic animals
Breeding, gene pharming and xenotransplantation
Plant breeding
Plant tissue surface culture
Plant cell suspension cu

About the author

Rolf Schmid studied chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology in Munich and Freiburg (Germany). After postdoctoral training in Gif-sur-Yvette (France) and Austin (USA), he joined Henkel KGa A in Dusseldorf (Germany) where he worked for 15 years, eventually as Director R&D Biotechnology. In 1987, he was invited to direct the Institute for Enzyme Technology at Braunschweig Technical University and the Division of Enzyme Technology and Chemistry of Natural Products at the ‘Gesellschaft für biotechnologische Forschung’ (GBF) in Braunschweig (Germany). From 1993 to 2009, he was Director of the Institute for Enzyme Technology at Stuttgart University (Germany). After having obtained an MBA diploma from the University of Reutlingen in 2007, he founded the consulting agency www.bio4business.eu in Stuttgart, followed in 2015 by the Steinbeis Consulting Agency www.asia-tech.eu.

Dr. Claudia Schmidt-Dannert is Distinguished Mc Knight Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, at the University of Minnesota (USA). She studied Biology and Biochemistry at the Carolo Wilhelmina University Braunschweig (Germany), where she received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1994. Schmidt-Dannert held a Postdoc position in Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Stuttgart (Germany) and became Professor at the University of Minnesota in 2010. Her research focuses on exploring and utilizing the metabolic machineries of plants and microorganisms to enable the discovery and synthesis of valuable microbial or plant-derived compounds in engineered microbial cells.