Factors affecting the cryopreservation of coffee, coconut and oil palm embryos

Cet article décrit l'importance de divers paramètres qui peuvent avoir une influence significative sur les possibilités de cryoconservation des embryons zygotiques et somatiques de plusieurs espèces à semences récalcitrantes et intermédiaires (caféier, cocotier, palmier à huile). Les embryons ne doivent être utilisés que si leur état physiologique est optimal, notamment en ce qui concerne leur degré de maturité et leur état métabolique. La modification des conditions de reprise peut grandement améliorer le taux de survie des embryons zygotiques. Dans le cas des embryons somatiques de palmier à huile, une préculture sur un milieu à forte concentration en saccharose est nécessaire pour induire la tolérance à la dessiccation et à la cryoconservation. (Résumé d'auteur

Eliciting Polyphenols in Strawberry Leaves: Preliminary Experiments in <i>Fragaria</i> × <i>ananassa</i> cv. Festival

Polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites that function mostly as a general stress-induced protective mechanism. Polyphenols have also gained interest due to their beneficial properties for human health. Strawberry leaves represent an agro-industrial waste material with relevant bioactive polyphenol content, which could be incorporated into circular economy strategies. However, due to the low quantities of polyphenols in plants, their production needs to be improved for cost-effective applications. The objective of this research was to compare polyphenol production in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa cv. Festival) leaves in plants grown in greenhouse conditions and plants grown in vitro, using three possible elicitor treatments (UV irradiation, cold exposure, and cysteine). General vegetative effects were morphologically evaluated, and specific polyphenolic compounds were quantified by UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS. Gallic acid was the most abundant polyphenol found in the leaves, both in vivo and in vitro. The results showed higher amounts and faster accumulation of polyphenols in the in vitro regenerated plants, highlighting the relevance of in vitro tissue culture strategies for producing compounds such as polyphenols in this species and cultivar

Investigaciones en plantas con potencial bioactivo

The Biotechnology Research Center (CIB) at Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC) consists of a multidisciplinary group of researchers performing their research in three different lines of action in Biotechnology: Plants, Environmental and Biomedical Research. The research projects in Plant Biotechnology include investigations on plants with bioactive potential, natural products, secondary metabolites, antioxidant compounds, ethnobotany, bioprocesses, pharmacognosy and tissue culture. Researchers from different fields (biologists, agronomists and biotechnologists) collaborate in search of the same objective: “The use of biological resources as a source of secondary metabolites with a positive effect on health, which can be used as an adjuvant or for developing natural phytopharmaceuticals for humans”. This article presents a brief summary of the projects and achievements that have been obtained in this area of research at CIB.El Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología (CIB) del Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC), cuenta con un grupo multidisciplinario de profesionales que orientan sus investigaciones en tres diferentes líneas de acción: Biotecnología Vegetal, Ambiental y Biomédica. En el área de Biotecnología Vegetal se desarrollan proyectos que incluyen investigaciones en productos naturales, metabolitos secundarios, compuestos antioxidantes, etnobotánica, bioprocesos, farmacognosia y cultivo de tejidos; todos bajo un mismo objetivo “el uso de recurso biótico como fuente de compuestos bioactivos con efecto positivo sobre la salud, que puedan ser utilizados como coadyuvante o fitofármaco natural para el hombre”. En este artículo se presenta un breve resumen de los proyectos y logros que se han obtenido en esta área de investigación en el CIB