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Article: Economic Uses and Benefits of Microorganisms
- Article from:
- World of Microbiology and Immunology
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Economic uses and benefits of microorganisms
Microorganisms
have been used as tools for the production of products for millennia. Even in ancient times, the ability to produce vinegar by allowing water to percolate through wood shavings was known and widely practiced. Likewise, the
transformation
of a
yeast
suspension into beer or a suspension of crushed grapes into wine was common knowledge. The basis of these events may not have been known, but that did not impede the sale or trade of such products.
These economic uses of microorganisms are the earliest examples of
biotechnology
. As the knowledge of
bacteria
and yeast-chemical behaviors grew, other biotechnological uses for ...