ABSTRACT
The food and food processing industries have found that biotechnology can be used for a variety of products and processes, including food additives, improved processability of crops, improved processing methods, and detection of contaminants in food. Biotechnology in the food industry will be important, but how quickly and to what extent is difficult to predict. New foods from biotechnology can also come in the form of microbial products. Biotechnology can be used to tailor microbial polysaccharides for use as thickeners and gelling agents. The development of new biotechnology has caused a dramatic response from the regulatory agencies. The Food and Drug Administration's statements on biotechnology regulation have concentrated on this type of example — production of compounds from genetically engineered microorganisms. One of the themes that emerged from the Second National Conference for Food Protection is the need for rapid and inexpensive screening methods for contaminating microorganisms in food.
