Total polyphenol content in callus of Theobroma cacao L. ‘UF-650’ clone

Abstract

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is of great interest as a source of compounds of natural origin, and polyphenols are those with the highest bioactivity. The objective of this work was to determine the total polyphenol content in callus of Theobroma cacao, ‘UF-650’ clone. Calluses developed from three types of explants were obtained: petals, staminoids, and young leaves. To these, the qualitative identification and quantification of total polyphenols was performed by UV-visible spectrophotometry according to the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The results showed the presence of total polyphenols in the calluses obtained from the three types of explants. The highest content of total polyphenols (11.208 µg g-1) expressed as µg of pyrocatechol per gram of sample was found in callus extract obtained from staminoids. The results are promising for the production of phenolic compounds by in vitro culture of T. cacao 'UF-650' clone.

Keywords

• floral explants
• phenolic compounds
• young leaves