Bacoside biosynthesis during in vitro shoot multiplication in Bacopa monnieri(L.) Wettst. grown in Growtek and air lift bioreactor

Shoot cultures of Bacopa monnieri L. (Brahmi) were cultivated in shake flask (1 L) and two bioreactor systems: Growtek(R) (1 L) and modified bench top air lift bioreactor (ALB) (5 L). Continuous immersion and aeration supported excellent growth and enhanced levels of bacoside (A sub(3)+A sub(2)) production in ALB. Growth index (GI) in terms of dry wt was recorded maximum in the ALB (5.84), followed by Growtek(R) (4.22) and shake flasks (2.61) after 4 wk of incubation. ALB recorded the highest number of shoots (443.33), as compared to that in Growtek(R) (42.67) and shake flasks (23.33). Furthermore, bacoside production in shoot cultures o f the ALB system was ~ 1.75-fold higher as compared to cultures in shake flask. Nutrient exhaustion in spent medium from the various systems was also measured. Present work reports the feasibility of shoot cultivation in liquid medium to develop a suitable bioreactor strategy.