13 May 2010

	978 3 52731 603 8 Wiley VCH GBP 315.00 Ullmann’s Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Wiley VCH (ed.) Ullman’s Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering is a two volume set, with each book averaging 400 pages. What is immediately apparent is the sheer diversity of biochemical engineering in the 21st Century. The 18 chapters in the two volumes are written by experts in both industry and academia. Books like this do, out of necessity, try to be ‘all things to all people’, much of the material is written to allow a specialist in another field to get up to speed on a new topic, so, for example, much of the first chapter on biotechnology will be familiar to biologists, but provides a sound basis of biological concepts on which many of the remaining chapters are based and would be accessible to those with a background in chemistry or physics. Having said that, the discussions of bioprocesses, fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks in the first chapter were entirely new to me. The chapter on nucleic aacids was clearly developed, with sufficient diagrams to make the necessary points. This is followed by two related chapters on DNA analysis techniques and PCR which includes discussion of quantitative PCR, real time PCR, FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) and TaqMan systems. A chapter on amino acids provides a handy reference to their physical and chemical properties before discussing their production on an industrial scale. As a biologist, I found the number of different processes used to create amino acids fascinating and I will not take the constituents of my tissue culture media for granted in the future! There follows a brief overview of peptide synthesis and a very detailed discussion of over 40 different peptide and protein hormones. The chances are you’ll find your favourite protein mentioned here, and the authors are to be congratulated in trying to cover such a vast subject in just a few hundred pages. The first volume is brought to a close by a short chapter on the production and purification of monoclonal antibodies. Volume two starts with a general discussion of the principles of genetic engineering followed by a short and clearly explained chapter on mutagenic agents. The third chapter of volume two focuses on enzymes, specifically the production and analysis of enzymes and is followed by a chapter on enzyme and immunoassays. The chapter on biochemical engineering discusses the design of equipment needed to cultivate micro organisms, plant and animal cells, and much of this chapter will be new to those with a biological background (although presumably familiar to those with a background in engineering or the physical sciences). There is a chapter on immobilized biocatalysts; I was interested to learn that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is one of the most important products produced using this technology; apparently more than half of the sugar used in soft drinks is HFCS. Not surprisingly, a related chapter discusses the use of non immobilized biocatalysts for the industrial production of fine chemicals. A chapter on biochemical separations introduces the wide array of techniques that can be used to separate fermentation products such as organic molecules, antibiotics, enzymes, lipids and hormones. The second volume ends with chapters on biorefineries and biomass chemicals as means of reducing our reliance on non renewable resources such as petroleum, natural gas and coal. Our modern lifestyle, from food and pharmaceuticals to dyes and materials, is dependent on the petrochemical industry. As our global stocks of oil decrease, we are going to have to find new ways of carrying out this diverse range of reactions. Overall, I highly recommend this book, although at £315, it is more likely to be purchased by libraries than by individuals. First, I think it makes a useful reference book, a detailed index makes it easy to find information quickly, and the broad scope of the chapters makes it useful to readers from a wide variety of backgrounds. Secondly, and no less importantly, it gives you a renewed appreciation of biotechnology in the modern world; quite simply, we’d be lost without it. Avril Morrison (The Open University)   Copyright © 2010 Biochemical Society. No part of this site including images and text may be reproduced without express written permission from the Biochemical Society			Related links:     Buy this book from Amazon More top reviews Essential Cell Biology (3rd Edn) Photoprotection, Photoinhibition, Gene Regulation, and Environment (Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration Series) Garlic and Other Alliums: the Lore and the Science Archived reviews search our archive Review a book see our book list In association with Amazon