Selection and optimization of a high-producing tissue culture of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer

Biomass growth, ginsenoside and polysaccharide production in different ginseng tissue cultures, including callus culture, adventitious root culture and hairy root culture, were studied, and the active component contents were compared with that of native ginseng roots. The adventitious root culture was confirmed to be a very nice system, which grew fast and contained a rather high content of ginsenosides. Then, the culture conditions of adventitious root culture were optimized. The results showed that salt strength, various sucrose concentrations, ammonia/nitrate ratios and phosphate concentrations had significant influences on adventitious roots growth, secondary metabolite and polysaccharide synthesis in ginseng. The best culture conditions for ginsenoside production seemed to be 0.75 salt strength Murashige and Skoog medium, 4% sucrose, 9 mM ammonia to 36 mM nitrate, and 1.25 mM phosphate, while the optimization for polysaccharide accumulation seemed to be 0.75 salt strength, 6% sucrose, 9 mM ammonia to 36 mM nitrate and 3.75 mM phosphate source. Appropriate conditions allowed for a maximum ginsenoside yield of up to 132.90 mg/L and polysaccharide yield of 407.63 mg/L to be obtained after 4 weeks of culture.