Substrate specific hydrolysis of aromatic and aromatic-aliphatic esters in orchid tissue cultures

Abstract

We found that tissue cultures of higher plants were able, similarly as microorganisms, to transform low-molecular-weight chemical compounds. In tissue cultures of orchids (Cymbidium 'Saint Pierre' and Dendrobium phalaenopsis) acetates of phenols and aromatic-aliphatic alcohols were hydrolyzed, whereas methyl esters of aromatic and aromatic-aliphatic acids did not undergo this reaction. Acetates of racemic aromatic-aliphatic alcohols were hydrolyzed with distinct enantiospecificity.

Keywords

• Orchidaceae
• tissue cultures
• aromatic-aliphatic esters
• hydrolysis