Process
TransformationROOTec uses plant root cultures, the so-called hairy root cultures (HRCs), to produce bioactive plant-derived compounds.The HRCs are generated from the plant of interest by infecting tissue with the soil bacterium Agrobacterium rhizogenes.
This process has been investigated and specifically employed in the production of transformed root cultures from a wide variety of plant species. Transformed roots display more rapid growth and are characterized by increased formation of root hairs. Apart from their external appearance they are normal, fully functional roots.
One decisive advantage is that the relevant active compounds, though mostly also present in in-vitro cultures, occur in higher concentrations in transformed root cultures. In contrast to cell cultures, hairy roots are genetically stable and retain the entire biochemical potential of the original plant.
Theoretically, all higher plants can be transformed and root cultures produced in this way. The technique offers an interesting production system for a multitude of bioactive substances from plants. ROOTec possesses comprehensive know-how on the generation of highly productive root cultures.
ROOTec Mist Bioreactor (RMB)
Every organism used for biotechnical processes, whether bacterium, fungus, or plant, places exact requirements on the culture conditions. ROOTec has developed a new system, the ROOTec Mist Bioreactor (RMB), in which hairy root cultures can be cultured under optimal conditions.
Its modular construction renders the RMB system very flexible. The production volume can be expanded rapidly and economically from experimental dimensions to large-scale production by increasing the number of RMBs.