What is a major benefit of using chromatography in biotechnology?

Using chromatography in biotechnology is particularly advantageous for its ability to purify genetically engineered proteins effectively. The chromatography process leverages various physical and chemical properties of proteins, such as size, charge, and binding affinity, to separate the desired proteins from a complex mixture. This specialized separation is crucial in the production of proteins like GFP, which can be expressed in host organisms and need to be isolated from other cellular components to study their properties or use them in applications.

By employing chromatography techniques, researchers can achieve high levels of purity, which is essential for both research and industrial applications, because impurities can interfere with downstream processes and affect the functionality of the protein. This level of purification enables the use of genetically engineered proteins in a variety of fields such as medicine, research, and environmental science, making chromatography an invaluable tool in biotechnology.

Other options, while they may touch on related concepts, do not accurately represent the primary benefit of chromatography in this context. For instance, increasing cell viability or enhancing fluorescence pertains more to biological conditions or protein properties rather than the separation and purification processes that chromatography specifically addresses. Moreover, lowering costs is a broader economic concern that can result from various efficiencies but does not directly highlight the core function of chromatography.