Pilot-scale culture of somatic embryos of Eleutherococcus senticosus in airlift bioreactors for the production of eleutherosides.

PURPOSE OF WORK: To establish pilot scale bioreactor cultures of somatic embryos of Siberian ginseng for the production of biomass and eleutherosides. Somatic embryos of Eleutherococcus senticosus were cultured in airlift bioreactors using Murashige and Skoog medium with 30 g sucrose l(-1) for the production of biomass and eleutherosides. Various parameters including the type of bioreactor, aeration volume, and inoculum density were optimized for 3 l capacity bioreactors. Balloon-type airlift bioreactors, utilizing a variable aeration volume of 0.1-0.3 vvm and an inoculum of 5 g l(-1), were suitable for biomass and eleutheroside production. In 500 l balloon-type airlift bioreactors, 11.3 g dry biomass l(-1), 220 µg eleutheroside B l(-1), 413 µg eleutheroside E l(-1), and 262 µg eleutheroside E1 l(-1) were produced.