Status of Bioprospecting of Marine Molluscs in India.

Abstract

'Bioprospecting' is a word that has been recently coined to describe the centuries- old practice of collecting and screening plant and other biological material for commercial purposes, such as the development of new drugs, seeds and cosmetics. Bioprospecting is also defined as the systematic search, classification and research on new sources of chemical compounds, genes, proteins, and micro- organisms, for commercial purposes with real or potential economic value, which are found in biodiversity. Bioprospecting is the collection of biological material and the analysis of its material properties, or its molecular, biochemical or genetic content, for the purpose of developing a commercial product. It is otherwise called as Biodiscovery. Biological material for bioprospecting activities can come from two main sources: directly from its natural environment, or from a collection. If biological material is collected from its freshwater or marine. If the biological material has already been taken from its natural environment and placed in a collection, for example, in a zoo, an aquarium or a culture collection, this can be an alternative source of interesting material for bioprospecting activities. History of Bioprospecting Humans have always looked for plants and animals they could use to make life easier. However, they discovered that certain foods and beasts of burden could be used for more than basic subsistence. Archeologists are finding that some biotechnologies, such as the use of herbs for medicine and the use of fermentation and yeast in food products, date back 5,000 to 10,000 years (De Miranda, 2004). Many of the historical uses of enzymes, proteins, and other biological materials have been understood by scientists, physicians, and nutritionists for quite some time, while others are still being discovered.