Biotechnology and its Applications Test - 9

Insulin is a protein hormone produced in the pancreas and used in the metabolism of sugar and other carbohydrates. The synthesis of human insulin was done using a process similar to the fermentation process used to make antibiotics.

The first generation vaccines consist of live attenuated/ heat killed vaccines in which whole organisms in the weakened live form or heat killed form are injected. Sevcond generation vaccines are those vaccines in which the whole organism is not given. Instead of this a portion called the subunit, which may contain a protein section of the pathogen is given. Third generation vaccines are those in which recombinant techniques are used for the production of vaccines. In this technique DNA encoding the antigen is inserted into a vector which will be recognised as a pathogen in the host. Such that the host immune system generates an immune response against the vector and thereby the antigen. So, the correct answer is 'Third generation vaccines'.

A trail batch of tissue culture inactivated anti rabies vaccine was produced at Rabies Vaccine production Laboratory in Kathmandu in 2010. Vero working cell line (164P) was used for propagation of cell that was infected with PV/RV at 100 MOI working rabies virus strain at 170 serial passages of cells.

Dextrins are polysaccharides formed by heating dry or acid-modified starches in a process called pyrolysis. They can be used at higher solids levels than native or modified starches, creating stronger bonds, more tack and faster-drying properties than pastes made from unmodified starch. 

Transgenic microbes have many commercial and practical applications, including the production of mammalian products. A company called Genentech was among the earliest and most successful commercial enterprises to use genetically engineered bacteria to produce human proteins. Their first product was human insulin produced by genetically engineered Escherichia coli. A variety of other human hormones , blood proteins, and immune modulators are now produced in a similar fashion, in addition to vaccines for such infectious agents as hepatitis B virus and measles.

Cry proteins are a large family of crystalline toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis. Individually, the family members are highly specific, but collectively, they target a diverse range of insects and nematodes. Domain II of the toxins is important for target specificity, and three loops at its apex have been studied extensively. 

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless. Some strains however, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, can cause severe foodborne disease. It is transmitted to humans primarily through consumption of contaminated foods, such as raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and contaminated raw vegetables and sprouts.

The biogas production takes place by the degradation of the waste products. The wastes are comprised of cellulose, starch and other polymeric molecules. Other can be degraded into simpler ones with the help of the enzymatic activity. The cellulose fibres are made up of strong bonds and difficult to be degraded with the help of other proteolytic enzymes than cellulase. This is the step which limits the process of the formation of methane from the biogas plant. 

Thus, the correct answer is option B. 

Leguminaceae is the group of plants which are sources of legumes or pulses. These are the plants which are known to have higher protein content. Euphorbiaceae, Asclepiadaceae and Apocyanaceae are the families which have the plants which can produce hydrocarbons. These plants are used for the production of petrochemicals. These plants are used for the process of petroplantation. 

Thus, the correct answer is option D. 

Alcohol has been used as biofuel in many countries, especially Brazil. The alcohols that are used as biofuels are methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol. Ethanol is most commonly used as biofuel. Brazil has the highest production of ethanol as biofuel. Ethanol in brazil is produced from sugarcane. The bagasse of sugar cane i.e. residual cane waste is fermented to produce ethanol. In 2015/16, Brazil raised about 80 billion gallons of ethanol. Ethanol is blended in gasoline and used as fuel for engines.
So, the correct answer is 'Brazil'.
 

Softwood is wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers, as well as Amborella. The term is opposed to hardwood, which is the wood from angiosperm trees. Softwood is usually wood from gymnosperm trees such as pines and spruces. Softwoods are not necessarily softer than hardwoods.In both groups there is an enormous variation in actual wood hardness, the range of density in hardwoods completely including that of softwoods. Some hardwoods (e.g. balsa) are softer than most softwoods, while the hardest hardwoods are much harder than any softwood. The woods of longleaf pine, Douglas fir, and yew are much harder in the mechanical sense than several hardwoods.

The correct option is Option B.
Fuel wood required per person per day is 3kg.

Biogas is a mixture of different gases, major portion in biogas being methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). It also contains traces of other gases like hydrogen (H₂), Moisture (H₂O) , hydrogen sulphide (H₂S)etc. Improved digesters used for anaerobic digestion can produce biogas with 65% - 75% methane content. Biogas contains water vapour also. The average quantity of methane and carbon dioxide in cow dung based biogas digesters are in 60:40 ratio. 

There are four key biological and chemical stages of anaerobic digestion producing methane gas:
i) hydrolysis ii) acidogenesis iii) acetogenesis and iv) methanogenesis. 

Throughout the steps, methanogens are involved in producing the biogas.

So, the correct answer is 'Multi step process'

The production of citric acid by Aspergillus niger is one of the most commercially utilized examples of fungal overflow metabolism.

The correct option is Option A.
Transgenic animals have foreign DNA in all its cells. The animals which carry foreign genes are called transgenic animals. The foreig genes are inserted into the genome of animals using recombinant DNA technology or gene manipulation.

Vitamin B12, necessary for the maintenance of the nervous system and the formation of blood cells, is only naturally present in animal products. Vegans have thus far had to take supplements or vitamin pills to ensure a balanced diet. University of Helsinki researchers have now found a way to introduce vitamin B12 into plant-based foods using common food ingredients. The method is the familiar process of fermentation, using the Propionibacterium freudenreichii bacterium, which is used in production of Emmental cheese.

Fermented milk is the collective name for products such as yoghurt, ymer, kefir, cultured buttermilk, filmjolk (Scandinavian sour milk), cultured cream and koumiss (a product based on mares’ milk). The generic name of fermented milk is derived from the fact that the milk for the product is inoculated with a starter culture which converts part of the lactose to lactic acid.

Milk is converted into curd or yogurt by the process of fermentation. Milk consists of globular proteins called casein. The curd forms because of the chemical reaction between the lactic acid bacteria and casein. During fermentation, the bacteria use enzymes to produce energy (ATP) from lactose. The byproduct of ATP production is lactic acid. Lactic acid acts on the globular proteins present in the milk and denatures them. This denaturation destroys the tertiary and quaternary structures of proteins and the globular proteins are converted into fibrous proteins thus giving a thick texture to the milk due to coagulation of the proteins.