Browsing by Subject "Biotechnological production"

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    Biotechnological production of β‑carotene using plant in vitro cultures
    (Springer, 2022-07-14) Almagro Romero, Lorena; Correa Sabater, Jose Manuel; Pedreño García, María Ángeles; Sabater Jara, Ana Belén; Biología Vegetal
    β-carotene is an orange carotenoid often found in leaves as well as in fruits, flowers, and roots. A member of the tetraterpene family, this 40-carbon isoprenoid has a conjugated double-bond structure, which is responsible for some of its most remarkable properties. In plants, β-carotene functions as an antenna pigment and antioxidant, providing protection against photooxidative damage caused by strong UV-B light. In humans, β-carotene acts as a precursor of vitamin A, prevents skin damage by solar radiation, and protects against several types of cancer such as oral, colon and prostate. Due to its wide spectrum of applications, the global market for β-carotene is expanding, and the demand can no longer be met by extraction from plant raw materials. Considerable research has been dedicated to finding more efficient production alternatives based on biotechnological systems. This review provides a detailed overview of the strategies used to increase the production of β-carotene in plant in vitro cultures, with particular focus on culture conditions, precursor feeding and elicitation, and the application of metabolic engineering.
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    Recent trends in the biotechnological production of tocopherols using in vitro cultures
    (Springer, 2021-03-27) Almagro Romero, Lorena; Belchí Navarro, Sarai; Pedreño García, María Ángeles; Sabater Jara, Ana Belén; Biología Vegetal
    Tocopherols, a class of terpenoid compounds with vitamin-E activity, are produced by photosynthetic organisms, including cyanobacteria, algae, and plants. The chemical structure of tocopherols consists of a hydrophobic prenyl tail linked to a polar chromanol head. Depending on the position and number of methyl groups on the chromanol head, tocopherols are classed as a, b, c, and d isomers. Tocopherols play a key role in plant defense, and have bioactive properties beneficial for human health, being reported to prevent atherosclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, eyesight degeneration, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. The high market demand for tocopherols calls for new strategies to improve their supply from sustainable sources, and a promising approach is to develop biotechnological factories with tocopherol-producing plant and microalgae in vitro cultures. This review provides a detailed overview of different strategies devised to enhance tocopherol production using such systems, with particular focus on elicitation and feeding, culture conditions, and the application of metabolic engineering.