Studio Guest: Dr. Meike Ballschmiter, biochemist

Meike Ballschmiter, biotech expert and head of the "White Biotechnology" Junior Research Group at the University of Leipzig talks with Tomorrow Today about the possible uses for single-celled organisms in both industry and the household.
DW-TV: Enzymes produced by bacteria have been a component of laundry detergent for years. What's so special about the substances that deep-sea bacteria produce?


Meike Ballschmiter: The enzymes in the washing process have to have certain features. We always look for improved enzymes that can better withstand the pH in the washing machine. So some of these bacteria in the deep sea are from the very origin of bacterial development. The hope is that they have enzymes. We don't yet know at all if they might work better at low temperatures for example.


DW-TV: One of the other uses for these bacteria is to produce ethanol out of materials like wood or straw - what are known as 'second generation biofuels'. Do you think those biofuels will eventually play a bigger role in solving energy concerns?


Meike Ballschmiter: We should hope so. Right at the moment we have bacteria or microorganisms that produce ethanol really well. We also have bacteria or enzymes that can use up cellulose and these materials like straw. And now we have to bring together both components. That's at the development stage right now. If that works out we can use from one one field the food crop for food and the straw and the other materials for production of energy.


DW-TV: You're a biochemist. What is the focus of your research?


Meike Ballschmiter: We isolate a single bacterium. We focus on some soil for example and take out the whole genetic material. We transfer that into bacteria, which we know we can optimally cultivate in a laboratory. And then we look if they have features that we are looking for. It's especially interesting because today we know only 0.1 to 1 percent of the bacteria out there and only those are culturable in a laboratory. So there's 99 percent we cannot get hold of.


DW-TV: Genetically modified plants and animals get most of the press - much of it bad. But in real terms, GM bacteria are key to many industrial processes. Do you think we're going to see an explosion in that in coming years?


Meike Ballschmiter: I believe so. Right at the moment it's mostly the traditional biotechnological areas where these enzymes are used like food industries or leather or paper production. In the future we'll see more specialised enzymes for very special steps in the industrial process.


(Interview: Heather DeLisle)