Kinetic analysis of cell growth and vitamin e production in plant cell culture of carthamus tinctorius using a structured model

A compartmental model for plant cell culture was proposed. This model considers respiratory intermediates as the rate-limiting components in the growth of cells and formation of secondary metabolites. Cell structural components and storage carbohydrates were also considered as constituting compartments. The storage carbohydrates were considered as a reservoir of substrates for the respiratory intermediates. Growth regulation by intracellular phosphates was considered the major factor controlling interconversion between the respiratory intermediates and the storage carbohydrates. The growth of safflower cells and the vitamin E (tocopherol) production were described using this model. The calculated profile of cell growth and vitamin E formation agreed with experimental values in both batch cultivations and semi-continuous cultivations. Furthermore, the conditioning effect (which is assumed to be responsible for lag phase) was included in this model with the assumption of respiratory intermediate release.