The colors of biotechnology: general overview and developments of white, green and blue areas

Biotechnology is responsible for the manipulation of living organisms or their components for the production of products that are of benefit to human kind. Due to the wide range of applications, colors have been used to differentiate the main areas of research, such as white (industrial), green (agricultural) and blue (marine and fresh-water), among others. Thus, this review outlines the impacts of these areas of biotechnology, emphasizing their impact and potential to replace carbon-based technologies with more sustainable technologies.