Abstract
Since the mid-1980s the diverse group of compounds known as plant secondary metabolites, or secondary products, have assumed even greater significance than previously as compounds of commercial (e.g., taxol, rosmarinic acid) and social (e.g., “natural” fragrances and flavors) significance. The commercial production of these secondary metabolites remained field-based until the production of shikonin from plant cells in vitro (1). With few exceptions, the main world supply for most plant secondary metabolites remains the harvesting of field-grown plants followed by the extraction and/or direct utilization of the active pnnciple(s). The proportion of the plant that constitutes the compound of interest is invariably only a few percent of the total plant dry weight. For example, the maximum quinine content of Cinchona bark is 6–14%, and the bark is only a small portion of the entire tree (2). Some plants producing secondary metabolites are annuals or biennials, but many require long-term field-growth (Cinchona, 7–16 yr, Lithospermum erythrorhizon, 5–7 yr) before economic harvest. Field-grown crops are also subject to the vagaries of weather, pests, diseases, and nutrient availability. These, with other biotic and abiotic factors, continue to stimulate evaluation of alternative production systems for these compounds.
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© 1999 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ
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Hunter, C.S., Kilby, N.J. (1999). Betalains. In: Hall, R.D. (eds) Plant Cell Culture Protocols. Methods In Molecular Biology™, vol 111. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-583-9:403
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-583-9:403
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