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Genetic Modification of Plants pp 237–252Cite as

Biopolymers

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Part of the book series: Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry ((AGRICULTURE,volume 64))

Abstract

Biopolymers are intended to serve as substitutes for fuel-derived compounds. As their production in plants, driven by solar energy and photosynthesis, is CO2 neutral and they are normally completely biodegradable, they support a sustainable use of renewable resources. Unfortunately, in agriculturally usable cultivars, most biopolymers with technical applications are produced in low amounts, unfavourable combinations or are even absent. Hence, gene technology has to be used to create plants with an optimal concentration of, e.g. polysaccharides, poly-amino acids, or even polyhydroxyalkanoates. In order to reduce costs and the amount of farmland taken away from food production, the biopolymers should be a byproduct in plants already used for biomass, carbohydrate or fatty acid production. Several biopolymers are already produced in plants, sometimes in interesting amounts; nevertheless application is not in sight, due to necessary optimization and, even more, regulatory frameworks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agrobiotechnology, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 8, 18059, Rostock, Germany

    Maja Hühns & Inge Broer

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  1. Maja Hühns
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  2. Inge Broer
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Correspondence to Maja Hühns .

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  1. Botanisches Institut, Universität Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, Kiel, 24118, Germany

    Frank Kempken

  2. Inst. Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung, Universität Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, Kiel, 24098, Germany

    Christian Jung

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Hühns, M., Broer, I. (2010). Biopolymers. In: Kempken, F., Jung, C. (eds) Genetic Modification of Plants. Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, vol 64. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02391-0_13

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