Secoiridoid glycosides production by Centaurium maritimum (L.) Fritch hairy root cultures in temporary immersion bioreactor

• Centaurium maritimum contains a considerable amount of bioactive compounds.
• Hairy roots of C. maritimum were induced by A. rhizogenes strain A40M70GUS.
• Hairy roots were grown in low-cost bioreactor systems RITA® TIBs.
• High biomass and secoiridoid glycosides production were achieved in bioreactors.

Secoiridoid glycosides are naturally occurring phytochemicals of great importance for the food and pharmaceutical industry because of their various biological activities. Certain Gentiana and Centaurium species, which are recognized as the most important sources of these compounds, have become critically endangered due to overexploitation. In this study we describe a laboratory-scale approach for further implementation in large-scale production of secoiridoid glycosides, using a hairy root culture system of Centaurium maritimum L. Fritch, an underutilized and phytochemically unexplored species. Hairy roots were induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A40M70GUS and grown in Erlenmeyer flasks, as well as in RITA® temporary immersion bioreactors (TIBs). About 2–4 times higher biomass production rate and up to 8 times higher total secoiridoid glycosides production rate were achieved in RITA® bioreactors. Among the selected hairy root lines, line HR3 cultured in RITA® TIBs proved to be the most efficient considering both biomass and secoiridoid glycosides production rate.