Continuous Production of Resveratrol by Surface-Adhered Grape Cells

Resveratrol is an important natural product with a variety of biological activities. Plants and fruits are the primary dietary sources of resveratrol. To produce resveratrol more efficiently at a nutraceutical grade, a grape suspension cell culture was developed as an alternative resource for resveratrol. Subsequently, surface-adhesion-based immobilization of the grape cells was exploited to establish a continuous (repeated-batch) production process. The maximum resveratrol production by immobilized cells in the first batch culture reached 413 mg/L but dropped apparently in the second batch. A preimmobilization approach was further developed to enhance the grape cell adhesion on the carrier, which greatly improved the stability of continuous production. The immobilized cells were used continuously for 56 days throughout seven repeated batches with an average production of 163 mg/L, 2.2-fold higher than that of the suspension culture. This study demonstrated that surface adhesion of plant cells could be an effective method for the long-term continuous production of plant metabolites.