GREEN BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR HUMAN FEEDING

The global population is expected to grow in the next years and so the food demand. This increased demand for food cannot be sustained due to limited amount of arable land; furthermore, the sustainability in food production and the threat of crop losses due to climate change and plant diseases are playing an increasingly important role and need to be taken into account. Some of these issues could be countered using new and ethically more justifiable technologies such as plant cellular agriculture, which can fill the gap between food demand and supply in a sustainable way [1,2]. In vitro plant cell cultures can be established of any plant species, whether they are food plants or endangered species with a particular metabolic profile, and could produce nutritious, safe and healthy food together with chemicals and innovative materials, while minimizing resource input such as energy, land and water, in addition to gaining seasonal and geographical independence and reducing waste [3]. As grapes are one of the richest sources of phytochemicals, with potential beneficial effects on human health [4], the aim of this work was to establish Vitis labrusca L. var. Isabella in vitro cell cultures to study their potential use for nutritional and healthy food. For this purpose, Vitis labrusca leaves, a cultivation by-product, were used as starting material for undifferentiated cell culture establishment. The first step to establish in vitro cell culture was to test the best harvesting period and sterilization conditions. To obtain callus induction, leaf explants were cultured on two different basal media, supplemented with sucrose (30 mg/L) and 2,4-D (1.3 mg/L), NAA (0.25 mg/L) and K (0.25 mg/L), namely MSA and B5A. Calli were obtained with high frequency from leaves harvested in full spring, on both media. In the successive subcultures significant differences were revealed between the two culture media, calli were green and juicy in MSA and whitish-brown and softy in B5A. Callus juices from both cell lines, obtained squeezing the biomass, were analysed by HPLC-DAD in order to evaluate the phytochemical profile. Total phenol and flavonoid content was determined by colorimetric assays, and protein content by nitrogen elemental analysis. The results show an active metabolism of the cultures and differences between the two cell lines.