Biotechnology is a branch of science where living organisms and their products are used for the production of food, drink, medicine or for other benefits to the human race, or other animal species. It is the practice of using plants, animals and micro-organisms such as bacteria, as well as biological processes to effect outcomes – such as the ripening of fruit.

Biotechnology can be divided into sub fields – red, white, green and multi-coloured biotechnology.

Red biotechnology deals with genetically altered micro-organisms that are used for producing products like insulin and vaccines for medical use.

White (grey) biotechnology is applied to industrial processes. For example, the use of microbes to produce products for industrial use, such as the subtilisin enzymes now widely used in laundry detergents.

Green biotechnology refers to agricultural applications such as production of disease-resistant or UV-resistant plants, or plants that have superior qualities, by means of genetic modification.

Multi-coloured biotechnology is often interdisciplinary and so many applications may be classified in more than one colour category. For example, production of biodiesel fuel from agriculture could be considered to be both white and green.

Enzymes are produced by fermentation, sometimes this is the only method of obtaining a product. Much of the excitement of biotechnology stems from the idea that the combination of being able to genetically modify organisms and bioengineer processes will result in more efficient and competitive processes.