Effects of initial sucrose concentration on excretion of anthocyanin pigments in suspended cultures of Perilla frutescens cells.

Cell cultures of Perilla frutescens, growing on Linsmaier and Skoog medium, released more anthocyanin with 40 to 50 g sucrose/l compared with the control of 30 g sucrose/l of medium. More proteins were also released into the medium with the higher sucrose concentration and the cell volume was smaller, suggesting that the higher osmotic pressure, caused by the high sucrose concentration, may cause these releases. The capacitance of the cultured cells indicated a difference in membrane structure between the cells cultivated with different sucrose concentrations, supporting the hypothesis that cell permeabilization is increased at higher sucrose concentrations.