METHYL JASMONATE INCREASES SAPONIN CONTENT IN BIOREACTOR CULTURE OF GINSENG (PANAX GINSENG C.A. MEYER) ADVENTITIOUS ROOTS

Abstract

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is traditionally considered one of the most potent medicinal plants that has been used for centuries as a health tonic. The most important active component in ginseng root is saponin, of which more than 20 different types have been identified. Current advances in plant biotechnology allowed production of saponin through adventitious root culture of ginseng in bioreactors. The adventitious root is an efficient means of saponin production due to fast root growth and stable metabolite productivity but saponin content is still lower than that in field-cultivated ginseng root, which is a main problem to solve. To increase saponin content, ginseng adventitious roots were cultured in a 20-L balloon type air-lift bioreactor for 40 days and different types and concentrations of elicitors were treated for 10 days. The result confirmed that the treatment of 50mmol methyl jasmonate for 7 days maximized saponin content. Saponin content started to increase from the first day of treatment, peaked at 7 days after culture. Research is still under way to determine the correlation of salt concentrations in the culture medium and the effect of methyl jasmonate on saponin production.