Investigating and understanding novel antibacterial agents is a necessary task as there is a constant increase in the number of multidrug-resistant bacterial species. The use of nanotechnology to combat drug-resistant bacteria is an important research area. The laboratory experiment described herein demonstrates that changes in the nanostructure…

Biochemistry has always been a mandatory topic within BS courses aimed at food science students at the University of Milan, namely: Food Science & Technology and Catering Sciences. Addressing biochemistry topics in this peculiar setting requires: (i) specific focus on topics that are seldom considered in courses offered in bio-medical…

With the advancement of ribonucleic acid (RNA) research in the field of biochemistry, ensuring that undergraduate students have both the theoretical and practical knowledge of current, cutting-edge experimental techniques is of marked importance. Many current biochemistry experiments demonstrate various basic molecular biological techniques…

A multiweek protein purification suite, suitable for upper-division biochemistry or biotechnology undergraduate students, is described. Students work in small teams to isolate the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from a nontraditional tissue source, mammalian blood, using a sequence of three column chromatographic procedures: ion-exchange, size…

We present a practical activity focusing on two main goals: to give learners the opportunity to experience how the scientific method works and to increase their knowledge about enzymes in everyday situations. The exercise consists of determining the amylase activity of commercial detergents. The methodology is based on a qualitative assay using a…

Vanillin, the compound responsible for the well-known vanilla aroma, is almost exclusively produced via a chemical process, with only a small fraction extracted from natural sources, namely, the bean of the orchid "Vanilla planifolia". Research is being done towards a green chemistry process to obtain natural vanillin. A model biotechnological…

A low-cost biochemistry experiment is described that demonstrates current techniques in the use of catalytic DNA molecules and introduces a nonradioactive, nonfluorescent, inexpensive, fast, and safe method for monitoring these nucleic acid reactions. The laboratory involves the exploration of the 10-23 DNA enzyme as it cleaves a specific RNA…

Describes a freshman biology laboratory project that uses the polymerase chain reaction to introduce students to the interrelationship between biology and chemistry. Students must develop their own experimental protocol, perform calculations introduced in freshman classes, and evaluate group dynamics. (Author/WRM)

A biotechnologist-turned-teacher introduces a series of laboratory modules incorporating concepts from microbiology, cellular biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and evolution. The Amylase Project aims to distill the biotechnology process into a few short steps using amylase, the easiest enzyme to detect of those commonly produced by…

Because of the daily impact of biotechnology, it is important that students have some knowledge and experience with biotechnology in order to enable them to deal with the issues that arise as a result of its implementation. The purpose of this workbook is to assist in the efforts to expose students to the concepts of biotechnology through hands-on…