Soybean long-term callus cultures – potential for biotransformation and nutraceutical production

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill.) is the world leading cultivated pulse crop as a source of protein, oil and nutraceuticals. Recently, alternative approaches for the synthesis of new products gain bigger interest. Biotransformation based on in vitro cultures is well-established technology for such alternative production. In this respect initiation of callus and long-term cultures were established from four Bulgarian soybean varieties. The potential for callus development of cotyledons and cotyledonary nodes plated on media containing various combinations of kinetin (0.1 – 1.0 mg/l) and 2,4-D (0.5 – 1.0 mg/l) was tested. The optimal concentrations for initiation and maintaining of nondifferentiated growth for most of the varieties were twice higher levels of the cytokinin to the auxin. Two of the Bulgarian genotypes (Rossa and Srebrina) revealed better potentials for callogenesis and long-term growth. These are promising for the development of suitable procedures for biotransformation.

Keywords

• Soybean
• Glycine max
• callus
• long-term cultures
• biotransformation