Narcissus and Daffodil

Production of galanthamine in vitro 239
shoot-clumps) in different ways, although it did not contribute to an increase of
alkaloid accumulation. Sucrose is required for both the growth of the explants and
alkaloid production. Nonetheless, independently of the origin of the explant used,
bulbs or seeds, the optimal concentration of sucrose to obtain biomass (90 g/l) does
not coincide with the best conditions to induce higher alkaloid accumulation (30 g/l).
In general, the culture of shoot-clumps in liquid medium has been found to be
stable throughout the experiments (up to two months), the galanthamine-type
alkaloids being released into the culture medium in a higher proportion, which
facilitates their extraction. Obviously, apart from these culture conditions, other
parameters involved in the biosynthesis of galanthamine, as well as technological
conditions, have still to be studied before considering the possibility of scaling-up
production using biotechnological methods.
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