Food Production
BiologyΒ· Section 5.1β5.9B (2017 spec Issue 3)Β· 25 min read
1. Optimising Crop Yield in Enclosed Systems & Using Fertilisersβ β ββββ± 6 min
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Glasshouses and polythene tunnels are enclosed structures that allow farmers to control environmental conditions for crop growth, removing limiting factors for photosynthesis to increase yield. They trap heat from sunlight to raise temperatures, allow controlled addition of COβ, and protect crops from extreme weather, pests and inconsistent water supply.
Fertiliser
Substance added to soil to supply essential mineral ions (nitrate for amino acid/protein production, phosphate, potassium) required for healthy plant growth and increased yield.
Increasing COβ concentration provides more raw material for photosynthesis, raising reaction rate. Raising temperature up to the plant's optimum increases enzyme activity for photosynthesis; temperatures above the optimum denature enzymes, reducing yield.
A farmer grows tomatoes in a polythene tunnel. State two changes they can make to the tunnel environment to increase tomato yield, and explain why each change works.
- 1
- Increase carbon dioxide concentration inside the tunnel
- 2
Explanation: COβ is a raw material for photosynthesis, so increasing its concentration removes a limiting factor, increasing photosynthesis rate and crop growth.
- 3
- Use a heater to raise the tunnel temperature to 25Β°C (optimum for tomato plant enzymes)
- 4
Explanation: Higher temperature (up to the optimum) increases the rate of enzyme-controlled photosynthesis reactions, leading to faster growth and higher yield.
Exam tip:
Always link glasshouse condition changes to limiting factors of photosynthesis to get full marks.
2. Pest Control: Pesticides vs Biological Controlβ β ββββ± 5 min
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Pests (insects, weeds, fungal pathogens) damage or eat crops, reducing harvestable yield. Pest control reduces pest populations to minimise crop loss, and two main methods are used: chemical pesticides and biological control.
Biological control
Pest control method that uses natural predators, parasites or pathogens to kill or reduce pest populations, without synthetic chemicals.
Evaluate the use of biological control instead of chemical pesticides for a farmer growing lettuce for human consumption.
- 1
Advantages of biological control over pesticides:
- 2
- No toxic chemical residues on lettuce, so it is safe to eat immediately with no extra washing required
- 3
- Does not kill beneficial insects like pollinators, and pests do not develop resistance to the control organism
- 4
- Self-sustaining after initial introduction, so no repeated applications are needed
- 5
Disadvantages of biological control over pesticides:
- 6
- Slower acting, so may not reduce pest populations fast enough to prevent significant crop damage
- 7
- The introduced control species may escape and become an invasive pest in the local ecosystem
- 8
Conclusion: Biological control is a good choice for organic lettuce production, but pesticides may be preferred for fast-acting control of large pest outbreaks.
3. Use of Yeast and Bacteria in Food Manufacturingβ β ββββ± 6 min
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Microorganisms are widely used in food production due to their fast growth and predictable metabolic reactions. Yeast, a single-celled fungus, carries out anaerobic respiration to produce carbon dioxide and ethanol. This reaction is used to make bread: COβ bubbles get trapped in dough, making it rise, while ethanol evaporates during baking.
Lactobacillus bacteria are used to make yoghurt. They ferment lactose (milk sugar) anaerobically to produce lactic acid, which lowers the pH of milk, causing milk proteins to clot and thicken into yoghurt. The low pH also kills harmful bacteria, preserving the yoghurt.
The required practical for this topic investigates yeast anaerobic respiration rate by measuring COβ production under different conditions (temperature, pH, glucose concentration).
Describe the role of Lactobacillus in the production of yoghurt from cow's milk.
- 1
- Milk is first pasteurised to kill any harmful bacteria present, then cooled to 40Β°C (optimum temperature for Lactobacillus)
- 2
- Lactobacillus bacteria are added to the warm milk
- 3
- The bacteria respire anaerobically, fermenting the lactose sugar in milk to produce lactic acid
- 4
- Lactic acid lowers the pH of the milk, causing the milk proteins to clot and thicken into yoghurt. The low pH also prevents the growth of harmful bacteria, preserving the yoghurt.
Exam tip:
You do not need to learn specific temperatures for bread or yoghurt production, but link temperature/pH to optimal enzyme activity where relevant.
4. Industrial Fermenters: Optimal Growth Conditions for Microorganismsβ β β βββ± 5 min
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Industrial fermenters are large, sterile vessels used to grow high volumes of microorganisms for commercial food production, e.g. yeast for baking, mycoprotein for meat substitutes. Specific conditions are maintained to maximise microorganism growth rate and product yield:
Condition Provided | Purpose |
|---|---|
Aseptic precautions (sterilisation of vessel before use) | Prevent contamination by unwanted microorganisms that would compete for nutrients or produce toxic waste |
Nutrient medium (glucose, amino acids) | Supply food source for microorganisms to use for respiration and growth |
Optimum temperature and pH control | Maximise enzyme activity to increase growth rate, while preventing enzyme denaturation |
Oxygenation (aeration) | Supply oxygen for aerobic respiration, which releases more energy for growth than anaerobic respiration |
Agitation (stirring) | Ensure even distribution of nutrients, oxygen and heat throughout the fermenter for equal access by all microorganisms |
Explain why industrial fermenters are fitted with a cooling water jacket surrounding the vessel.
- 1
- Large populations of microorganisms respire rapidly, releasing large amounts of heat energy as a waste product
- 2
- If this heat is not removed, the temperature inside the fermenter would rise above the optimum temperature for the microorganisms' enzymes
- 3
- High temperatures would denature the enzymes, stopping metabolic reactions and killing the microorganisms, reducing yield of the desired product
- 4
- The cooling water jacket circulates cold water around the fermenter to absorb excess heat, maintaining the optimum temperature for growth.
5. (Biology Only) Intensive Fish Farming for Sustainable Protein Productionβ β β βββ± 4 min
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Fish farming is the intensive rearing of large numbers of fish (e.g. salmon, tilapia) in enclosed tanks or sea cages, to provide a high-yield source of protein for human consumption. Key methods to maximise yield include: maintaining clean, oxygenated, temperature-controlled water; controlling intraspecific (same species) predation by separating fish of different sizes/ages; controlling interspecific (different species) predation with netting; regular health checks and antibiotics to prevent disease; removing waste products to avoid water contamination; feeding high-protein food at controlled intervals; and using selective breeding to produce fast-growing, disease-resistant fish strains.
State two methods fish farmers use to reduce loss of stock from predation, and explain how each method works.
- 1
- Use fine mesh nets around sea cages to separate farmed fish from wild predator species (e.g. seals, larger fish)
- 2
Explanation: This prevents interspecific predation, as predators cannot access the farmed fish to eat them.
- 3
- Separate fish of different ages and sizes into different cages/tanks
- 4
Explanation: This prevents intraspecific predation, as larger, older fish will not eat smaller, younger fish of the same species.
6. Common Pitfalls
Wrong move:
Stating that increasing temperature in a glasshouse always increases yield
Why:
Temperatures above the optimum for plant enzymes denature enzymes, stopping photosynthesis and reducing or killing crops
Correct move:
Specify that temperature is raised only to the optimum value for the crop being grown
Wrong move:
Forgetting to give both advantages and disadvantages of pest control methods in evaluation questions
Why:
Mark schemes allocate half the marks for pros and half for cons, so unbalanced answers get half marks maximum
Correct move:
Structure evaluation answers with 2-3 advantages and 2-3 disadvantages for each method before a conclusion
Wrong move:
Stating that yeast produces lactic acid during bread production
Why:
Yeast produces ethanol and COβ during anaerobic respiration; lactic acid is produced by Lactobacillus in yoghurt production
Correct move:
Link the correct microorganism to its correct respiration product and food product in answers
Wrong move:
Listing fermenter conditions without explaining their purpose
Why:
Exam questions usually ask you to explain why each condition is provided, not just list them
Correct move:
Pair each fermenter condition with its specific function, e.g. 'agitation to evenly distribute nutrients and oxygen'
Wrong move:
Confusing intraspecific and interspecific predation in fish farming answers
Why:
Intraspecific = same species, interspecific = different species; mixing these up costs marks
Correct move:
Use prefixes to remember: 'intra' = inside (same group), 'inter' = between (different groups)
Wrong move:
Claiming that biological control has no disadvantages
Why:
Biological control has specific downsides including slow action and risk of the control species becoming invasive
Correct move:
Give balanced answers for all comparison questions, including pros and cons for both methods
7. Quick Reference Cheatsheet
Topic | Key Exam Facts |
|---|---|
Glasshouses/polythene tunnels | Increase yield by raising temp/COβ, removing photosynthesis limiting factors, protecting from pests/weather |
Fertilisers | Supply nitrate (for protein growth), phosphate, potassium to increase crop yield; leaching causes eutrophication |
Pesticides | Pros: fast acting, cheap, high efficacy; Cons: toxic residues, bioaccumulation, pest resistance, kill beneficials |
Biological control | Pros: no residues, no resistance, self-sustaining; Cons: slow, may become invasive, variable efficacy |
Yeast in bread | Anaerobic respiration β COβ (makes dough rise) + ethanol (evaporates when baked) |
Lactobacillus in yoghurt | Ferments lactose β lactic acid, lowers pH, thickens milk, preserves yoghurt |
Fermenter conditions | Asepsis (no contamination), nutrients (food), optimal temp/pH (enzyme function), oxygen (aerobic respiration), agitation (even distribution) |
(Bio only) Fish farming | Control intra/interspecific predation, water quality, disease, feeding, waste, use selective breeding |
8. Frequently Asked
Why do glasshouses increase crop yield?
Glasshouses trap heat from sunlight to raise temperatures and allow controlled addition of COβ, removing limiting factors for photosynthesis. They also protect crops from pests and extreme weather.
What is the difference between pesticides and biological control?
Pesticides are chemical products that kill pests quickly but can leave toxic residues and cause bioaccumulation. Biological control uses natural pest predators, which are self-sustaining but slower to act.
Do I need to learn fish farming for Double Award Science?
No, fish farming (spec point 5.9B) is only tested on the Biology-only (4BI1) Paper 2, not on the Double Award (4SD0) papers.
Going deeper
What's Next
Now you have mastered food production content for Edexcel IGCSE Biology, you can move on to the rest of the Use of Biological Resources unit. Next, learn about selective breeding (the process used to create high-yield crop, livestock and fish strains) and genetic modification techniques used to improve crop and food product traits. You should also revise photosynthesis limiting factors to reinforce your understanding of glasshouse yield optimisation, and eutrophication (the environmental downside of overusing fertilisers on crops). Practice past paper questions on this topic to test your ability to write balanced evaluation answers for pest control and fermenter condition questions, which are frequently asked as 6-mark extended response questions.