Abstract
Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a clonally propagated, dioecious, perennial, climbing plant used commercially for their secondary metabolites. The resins containing α- and β-acids, and essential oils produced by the lupulin glands, present on the female flowers are used to add bitterness, aroma and flavour to beer. Recently, flavonoids, including chalcones and flavanones, of hops have been shown to exert a variety of biological activities, including oestrogenic and anticancerogenic characteristics. In this review, we provide a overview of the techniques and opportunities presented by the integration of plant biotechnology into hop improvement. The use of tissue culture techniques such as micropropagation, meristem culture, in vitro storage, adventitious shoot induction, callus culture and cell suspension culture in hops are briefly reviewed. The usefullness of genetic transformation technology to introduce novel traits into hop is also discussed.
Highlights
The hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.) is widely cultivated throughout the temperate zones of the world for its female inflorescences, which are used in the brewing industry to add bitterness, aroma and flavour to beer
The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of the techniques and opportunities presented by the integration of plant biotechnology into improvement of hop (H. lupulus L.) species
Biotechnology is applicable to many aspects of hop improvement
Summary
The hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.) is widely cultivated throughout the temperate zones of the world for its female inflorescences (commonly referred to as ‘cones’), which are used in the brewing industry to add bitterness, aroma and flavour to beer. For the purposes of this review, plant biotechnology can be defined as the application of tissue culture and molecular genetics to develop or produce a commodity from plants. Plant tissue culture refers to the maintenance and propagation of plant parts (organs, tissues, and single cells) in biologically pure (axenic) and controlled environments, while molecular genetics includes the techniques for isolating, characterizing, recombining, and transferring discrete fragments of DNA containing genes coding for specific traits into other, nonrelated, genetic backgrounds. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of the techniques and opportunities presented by the integration of plant biotechnology into improvement of hop (H. lupulus L.) species
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