Biotechnology is far too diverse and diffuse for any brief definition to be completely satisfactory The following serves the needs of GCSE students 'Biotechnology describes the use of organisms and biological processes to provide food, chemicals and services to meet the needs of humans.' (This definition includes agriculture, horticulture and many other aspects of applied biology.)

Background

Amongst the oldest examples of biotechnology are the production of fermented drinks, an application of biology which stretches back to the beginning of recorded history, and the use of yeast to make leavened bread. All human cultures have developed their own versions of fermented products based on the locally available grain, fruits, seeds and, especially, milk.

It was not until the nineteenth century that anything was known about microorganisms and their role in fermentation. Today, many pharmaceutical products are derived from fermentation and amongst the services which use biotechnology are the treatment of sewage and other effluent, control of oil pollution, desulphurisation of coal and the extraction of metals from their ores

At this point, the content from the core syllabus for respiration biochemistry could be taught or revisited.

This provides a lead into fermentation.