High-Field Formation of Arbutin from Hydroquinone by Cell-Suspension Cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/hlca.19920750625

High-density cell-suspension cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina cultivated in a nutrition medium optimized for the production of the glucoalkaloid raucaffricine synthesize hydroquinone glycosides from continuously added hydroquinone with a total yield of 23.87 g/l (18 g/l of arbutin and 5.87 g/l of a hydroquinone diglycoside) in 7 days.This arbutin production is by far the highest formation of a natural product by plant-cell-culture systems reported to date.