Introduction
Biotechnology covers a broad segment of science and technology and commands
worldwide research because of its potential impact on the improvement of quality
of life. A bioprocess is the technology to obtain desired product or process with the
help of living cells or their component or products like enzymes. Bioprocess
engineering is a sub discipline within Biotechnology that is necessary for the
translation of discoveries of this field into usable products, and processes deliverable to the society. Bioprocess technology was initiated in the first half of 20th
century with the production of penicillin and citric acid by classical fermentation
processes and later on fortified significantly by recombinant DNA technology,
plant and mammalian cell culture techniques. Nano biotechnology, as a promising
technology is also progressing, classically for cancer targeted drug development.
Bioprocessing today became a major part of biotechnology domain involved in the
production of huge number of human health care products, as well as products for
agriculture, industries, and food processing. Apart from these, development of
biosensors, detoxification of environmental pollutants, biofuel generation are major
focused research in this domain.
In earlier days putting the biology in bottle took much longer time. It took
almost 15 years for penicillin from discovery to application as drug. Glucose isomerase for high fructose syrup commercialization took 10 years or more. Products,
that are now under development, demands novel bioprocess techniques which is
more efficient and more economic, so as to reduce the time gap between discovery
and application. Bioprocess Engineering by its very nature is interdisciplinary
subject and thus requires more coherent approach to cross disciplinary research and
education. Although bioprocess industries have successfully translated many basic
research in biological science and molecular biology into valuable products, but
more intense research is needed for the development of more effective biopharmaceuticals for many catastrophic diseases like cancer, heart diseases and kidney
diseases. A second generation products should be available whose price-cost difference is low. Bioprocess for the generation of alternative energy source like
ethanol, biohydrogen, biomethane, bioelectricity from renewable biomass should
reach to consumer within a reasonable time period at affordable cost. Utilization of
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Biotechnology covers a broad segment of science and technology and commands
worldwide research because of its potential impact on the improvement of quality
of life. A bioprocess is the technology to obtain desired product or process with the
help of living cells or their component or products like enzymes. Bioprocess
engineering is a sub discipline within Biotechnology that is necessary for the
translation of discoveries of this field into usable products, and processes deliverable to the society. Bioprocess technology was initiated in the first half of 20th
century with the production of penicillin and citric acid by classical fermentation
processes and later on fortified significantly by recombinant DNA technology,
plant and mammalian cell culture techniques. Nano biotechnology, as a promising
technology is also progressing, classically for cancer targeted drug development.
Bioprocessing today became a major part of biotechnology domain involved in the
production of huge number of human health care products, as well as products for
agriculture, industries, and food processing. Apart from these, development of
biosensors, detoxification of environmental pollutants, biofuel generation are major
focused research in this domain.
In earlier days putting the biology in bottle took much longer time. It took
almost 15 years for penicillin from discovery to application as drug. Glucose isomerase for high fructose syrup commercialization took 10 years or more. Products,
that are now under development, demands novel bioprocess techniques which is
more efficient and more economic, so as to reduce the time gap between discovery
and application. Bioprocess Engineering by its very nature is interdisciplinary
subject and thus requires more coherent approach to cross disciplinary research and
education. Although bioprocess industries have successfully translated many basic
research in biological science and molecular biology into valuable products, but
more intense research is needed for the development of more effective biopharmaceuticals for many catastrophic diseases like cancer, heart diseases and kidney
diseases. A second generation products should be available whose price-cost difference is low. Bioprocess for the generation of alternative energy source like
ethanol, biohydrogen, biomethane, bioelectricity from renewable biomass should
reach to consumer within a reasonable time period at affordable cost. Utilization of
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