Abstract
The cultivation of medicinal plants and the production of bioactive compounds derived from them are of fundamental importance and interest, not only at the pharmacological level but also in nutraceutical and cosmetic industries and in functional foods, as well as plant protection in agriculture. In order to respond adequately to the increased demands of the global market from a quantitative and qualitative point of view and to guarantee environmental sustainability of the productions, it is necessary to resort to innovation tools, such as tissue culture in vitro technology. Nowadays, it is well known that the cultivation through the Temporary Immersion System (TIS) in a bioreactor has considerable advantages both for the in vitro mass production of the plants and for the production of secondary metabolites. The present review focuses on the application of TIS during the last two decades to produce biomass and bioactive compounds from medicinal plants. Indeed, almost one hundred papers are discussed, and they particularly focus on the effects of the culture system, vessel design and equipment, immersion time and frequency, and substrate composition for 88 medicinal species in TIS bioreactor culture.
Highlights
Immersion System for Production of Keywords: in vitro propagation; plant bioreactors; massive propagation; secondary metabolites; liquid culture; temporary immersion system
Tissues and organs of medicinal plants are a rich source of bioactive compounds, and plant-derived products can be used to improve food quality with healthy ingredients in the form of dietary supplements to contribute to a healthy diet by providing vitamins, antioxidants, and fibers
The micropropagation of medicinal plants is a tool for producing plants with high-yielding chemotypes for cultivation and industrial purposes, and it allows for production of biomass with genetically identical chemotypes and select plants based on the chemical profile in order to standardize a particular chemotype [11]
Summary
Tissues and organs of medicinal plants are a rich source of bioactive compounds, and plant-derived products can be used to improve food quality with healthy ingredients in the form of dietary supplements to contribute to a healthy diet by providing vitamins, antioxidants, and fibers (fortification). There is an urgency to preserve and propagate such species for future uses by adopting and improving efficient mass propagation techniques These goals can be achieved through an in vitro strategy with well-defined protocols and appropriate methods that increase the production of biomass and specific important secondary metabolites. The micropropagation of medicinal plants is a tool for producing plants with high-yielding chemotypes for cultivation and industrial purposes, and it allows for production of biomass with genetically identical chemotypes and select plants based on the chemical profile in order to standardize a particular chemotype [11]. The use of medicinal plants in vitro cultures is focused on the production of valuable bioactive compounds [4,14,15] which can be defined as secondary plant metabolites such as pharmaceuticals, flavors, and fragrances. This paper focuses on the Temporary Immersion System (TIS) for an overview of its application in medicinal plants during the last 20 years
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