The synthetic potential of immobilised cells of Capsicum frutescens Mill cv. annuum.

Cells of Capsicum frutescens Mill. cv. annuum, immobilised in reticulate polyurethane foam, produced higher yields of capsaicin, the pungent principle of Chilli pepper fruits, than did freely-suspended cells, when batch-cultured in a medium conducive to culture growth. In the absence of specific precursors to capsaicin, immobilised cells produced between two and three orders of magnitude higher yields than did suspended cells over 5-d or 10-d culture periods (typically up to 4 or 5 mg capsaicin g(-1) dry weight l(-1) medium compared with up to 30 μg g(-1)l(-1), respectively). These results were reflected by an increased rate and extent of incorporation of L-[U-(14)C]phenylalanine into capsaicin in immobilised as compared with freely-suspended cells, and evidence is presented for an inverse relationship between incorporation of [(14)C]phenylalanine into protein and capsaicin. The accumulation of capsaicin can be experimentally manipulated and increased by supplementing the medium with precursors of capsaicin such as phenylalanine and isocapric acid and by reducing the growth rate of immobilised cells by omitting growth regulators from the medium. The importance of these observations is discussed.