Abstract
Cynara cardunculus (Asteraceae family) is a perennial plant native to Mediterranean regions. This plant represents a source of high-value compounds, such as polyphenols and fatty acids that have several industrial applications. However, in vitro plant cell cultures can represent a valid alternative to in-field cultivation and facilitate the extraction of metabolites of commercial interest. Generally, sucrose is the main sugar used for plant cell cultures, but other carbon sources can be considered. Here, we investigated the potential use of alternative organic carbon sources, such as galactose, maltose, glucose, glycerol, fructose, lactose, and starch, for the cultivation of C. cardunculus cells. Moreover, cardoon cells were collected, and an extraction of polyphenols and oils was performed to study the effects of different carbon sources on the production of bioactive molecules. This study provided evidence that cardoon cell growth can be supported by carbon sources other than sucrose. However, the carbon source inducing optimum growth, did not necessarily induce the highest production of high-value compounds.
Highlights
Cynara cardunculus is a perennial plant of Asteraceae family, native to Mediterranean areas
To the best of our knowledge, no studies were found in literature about the effects of different carbon sources on C. cardunculus cells, the aim of this work was to investigate the capability of cardoon cell suspensions to use eight organic carbon sources, with the consequent effects on biomass productivity and production of secondary metabolites and fatty acids
After 10 days of cultivation, about 1 g dry weight (DW) L−1 day−1 of biomass productivity was achieved for cellular suspensions with inoculum sizes of 100 and 150 g L−1
Summary
Cynara cardunculus (common name, cardoon) is a perennial plant of Asteraceae family, native to Mediterranean areas. The plant, characterized by a high biomass and secondary metabolites production, is cultivated for industrial purposes due to the versatility of the cardoon biomass that makes this crop a promising raw material for biorefineries [1]. The whole plant can be used for medicinal purposes, as well as in the food industry as rennet for cheese production [2,3]. The biomass can be used to produce solid biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass, biodiesel from oil and different bio-products like bioplastic, food fragrances, home, and personal care items [1]. C. cardunculus is an important source of bioactive compounds that can find several applications in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries [4]. Is rich in phenolic compounds, mainly mono- and dicaffeoylquinic acids (like cynarin) and flavonoids, which are widely used for their antioxidant activity in pharmacology [2,4]. The oil is characterized by a high nutritional value due to the high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and oleic acids) and low saturated fatty acids amounts (palmitic and stearic acids) [7]
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