The effects of yeast extract and selected polysaccharide
elicitors on secondary metabolite production,
particularly of anthocyanin and phenolic acid, in cell suspension
cultures of Vitis vinifera were investigated. All
elicitors either maintained or promoted cell growth in
culture. Overall, secondary metabolite production in V.
vinifera cell suspension cultures responded differently to
different elicitors. Chitosan, pectin, and alginate enhanced
production of anthocyanin within 13 days of culture with
levels of 2.5-, 2.5-, and 2.6-fold increase, respectively, over
that of control. Chitosan, alginate, and gum arabic significantly
promoted accumulation of phenolic acids, particularly
3-O-glucosyl-resveratrol, in V. vinifera cultures, as
well as in the culture medium. Intracellular phenolic acid
production was significantly enhanced by alginate and
chitosan, with 1.7- and 1.5-fold levels, respectively, of that
of control. Extracellular phenolic acid production was also
significantly increased in the presence of chitosan and gum
arabic, with levels of 3.3- and 1.7-fold higher, respectively,
than those of control. In addition, DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-
picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity was enhanced