Bioprocess Technology

Theory behind green fluorescent protein
Recombination of plasmid is done to incorporate GFP into the E.coli bacteria. By using DNAse enzymes to cut out the desired gene from A. victoria. The same enzyme is then used to open the plasmid DNA from E.coli. DNA ligase is then used to ligate the desired gene into the plasmid vector of the E.coli. The plasmid vector is then inserted into the E.coli bacteria and a recombined E.coli is formed with the incorporated GFP gene.

Our purpose for this experiment is to isolate the green fluorescent protein. The green fluorescent protein can be found from a species of jellyfish, Aequorea Victoria. The green fluorescence is excited by blue light.

Its modified form, it can be used as biosensors and biomarkers to locate the gene of interest. I have here an interesting photo to share. It is done to show how diverse is genetic mutations.

The diversity of genetic mutations is illustrated by this San Diego beach scene drawn with living bacteria expressing 8 different colors of fluorescent proteins.

Learning points of Fermentation

Fermentation typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation usually implies that the action of the microorganisms is desirable, and the process is used to produce alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and cider. Fermentation is also employed in preservation to create lactic acid in sour foods such as pickled cucumbers, and yogurt.

There are different modes of fermentation namely, batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentation. Fermentation is also used much more broadly to refer to the bulk growth of microorganisms on some medium. No distinction is made between aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. This process is often used to produce or preserve food. The science of fermentation is known as zymology.