Micropropagation and Subsequent Enrichment of Carotenoids, Fatty Acids, and Tocopherol Contents in L.

A promising micropropagation protocol has been systematically established and demonstrated for the enhanced production of carotenoids, tocopherol and fatty acids in shoot tissues of . Shoot tip explants were grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Different concentrations of N-benzyladenine (BA) or thidiazuron (TDZ) alone or in combination with α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were tested in order to stimulate multiple shoot production. Ideal shoot induction (100%) and maximized shoot numbers (36.4) were obtained on explants cultured on media incorporated with 2 μM BA and 1 μM NAA combinations. The -developed shoots rooted best on half-strength MS media incorporated with 2 μM indole 3-butyric acid. Plantlets were effectively acclimatized in the greenhouse with 100% survival rate. The composition and contents of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, tocopherol and fatty acids in shoot tissues of were investigated using HPLC and GC-MS. The most abundant carotenoid in the shoot tissue was all--lutein (40.3-70.5 μg g FW) followed by 9'--neoxanthin (5.3-9.9 μg g FW), all--violaxanthin (4.4-8.2 μg g FW), and all--β-carotene (1.6-3.6 μg g FW). The α-tocopherol contents of -raised shoots was 6.5-fold higher than shoots of greenhouse-grown plants. The primary fatty acids found in shoot tissues were α-linolenic acid (32.0-39.3%), linoleic acid (27.4-38.2%), palmitic acid (13.3-15.5%), and stearic acid (5.2-12.2%). In all, summarizing the findings, the micropropagated showed significant enrichment of valuable bioactive carotenoids (92.3 μg g FW), tocopherols (14.6 μg g FW), and α-linolenic acid (39.3%) compared to their greenhouse counterparts. The protocol demonstrated here could be applied for the mass propagation and production of enhanced bioactive compounds from with credibility.