Biotechnology generally refers to techniques used to modify the products of living organisms to improve plants or animals orv to develop useful microorganisms. IUn this sense, biotechnology has been practiced for centuries since people used yeast and bacteria to produce breads, wines, and chesses.

Today, the raspidly advancing field of biotechnology refers to the generation of unique organisms with new traits or new reproductive potential using cell and tissue cultures, cell fusion, molecular biology, and recombinant DNA technology.