Demand for food, feed and fiber is growing with population and economic development. Necessary increase in global plant production can only be achieved, with use of all technologies at our disposal including conventional crop protection, plant breeding and plant biotechnology. Starch, proteins, biodegradable plastics, industrial products and other products produced from improved crops will play an important role in future.
There are many and very real options to enhance crops in order to produce so-called biomaterials, which can optimize processing in downstream industries. Bayer Crop Science teams have engineered potato plants which yield specific qualities of starch, designed to fit different manufacturing processes in industry.
In paper manufacturing, starch is used as a retention aid for holding back solids in paper in first step in production process, where pulp is sprayed on table and then quickly drained-off.
Image Source: allaboutfood.aitc.ca
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Higher molecular weight and higher charge density have a positive impact on paper quality by increasing paper strength, while improved retention of solids reduces load of waste water, one of the biggest problems in paper production.
Another important area of Plant Biotechnology innovations would be plant- made pharmaceuticals. More applications for biotechnology include gene therapies, antisense and RNA interference, blood component proteins, blood factors and anticoagulants, erythropoietins, interferon and interleukins, hormones growth factors, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic, analytic and industrial enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, modified storage proteins, nutritional supplements and food ingredients, flavourings, sweeteners, sugars, starches, fibers, polymers, bioplastics, liquid crystals, fatty acids, nutritional supplements and food ingredients, lubricants, membranes, vitamins, co-factors, mineral complexes, alkaloids, terpenes, phenolics and glucosinolates.