Plant In Vitro Systems as Sources of Food Ingredients and Additives

Abstract

In the recent years, people prefer to consume food with natural additives, especially those with plant origin because of the increased reports for carcinogenic and other side effects of some synthetic ones. Plant in vitro cultures have recently received great attention as an effective technology for the production of valuable secondary metabolites used as food ingredients and additives. The advantages of plant cell, tissue, and organ cultures over living plants, in terms of secondary metabolite production, are well understand: in the laboratory, growth conditions and parameters can be controlled and optimized; separation of target compounds is much easier; large-scale growth of plant cells in liquid culture in bioreactors can be achieved and ultimately commercialized. This chapter provides an overview and examples of plant in vitro systems producing food colorants, antioxidants, flavors, and sweeteners.