Cell culture of bursera linanoe in a stirred tank bioreactor for production of linalool and linalyl acetate

Bursera linanoe cell suspension cultures were initiated from callus grown in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid (3.0 mg L-1) and 6-benzylaminopurine (0.5 mg L-1). In flasks, B. linanoe cell cultures grew over a 9 day period, reaching a maximum biomass of 11.16 g DW L-1. Throughout the growth phase, cell viability was constant at 60 - 70%. In contrast, B. linanoe cells growing in a bioreactor achieved a maximum biomass of 22.26 g DW L-1 (after 7 days), and cell viability was constant at 75 - 85%. Production of linalool and linalyl acetate in the bioreactor (3.02 and 2.40 mg g-1 DW, respectively) was significantly greater than that achieved from cells in flask cultures (1.05 and 0.97 mg g-1 DW, respectively). B. linanoe cell suspension culture has potential as an alternative method for the production of essential oils.