Advances in Plant Biotechnology : In Vitro Production of Secondary Metabolites of Industrial Interest

The goal of Advances in Plant Biotechnology is to integrate the most recent knowledge on tissue culture, secondary metabolites production under controlled conditions, scaling up to produce them at bioreactor level, and their industrial applications. The biosynthetic pathways and the factors that affect them and the accumulation of metabolites, including metabolomics in medicinal plants, are key components as well. Several extraction and encapsulation technological procedures are reviewed. The structure and function of metabolites from selected commercial crops are reported in detail. Finally, items of paramount importance, such as bioavailability and stability of metabolites in pharma and food products are deeply analyzed.

Key Features:

• Strategies for obtaining selected metabolites through in vitro culture
• Application of biotechnological and bioengineering principles to the management of plant metabolites
• Description of the encapsulation of selected metabolites
• Bioavailability and stability of metabolites in pharma, food, and industrial sectors

This book is mainly addressed to research scientists, technical staff, and private and public organizations involved in plant biotechnology and in its processing industries. Last, but not least, students at all levels and postdoctoral researchers have received special attention from all editors and authors in this publication.

Alma Angélica Del Villar-Martínez, Ph.D is a Scientist at the Molecular Biology Laboratory, from the Department of Biotechnology at Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos (CEPROBI) in the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) in Morelos, México. She received her bachelor’s degree in Bio-pharmaceutical Chemistry, MSc, and Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology from the Department of Biotechnology at CINVESTAV-IRAPUATO, Mexico, as well as being a member of the National System of Researchers (Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, SNI-CONACYT). Dr. Del Villar-Martínez develops research projects related to the study of medicinal plants, with pharmacological potential; she has been involved in the biological potential of extracts from plant sources, in the development and induction of compounds with an antioxidant and anticancer effect, in the analysis of the chemical profile of extracts from different medicinal plants and the study of pigments of pharmacological and food interest; through the use of different biotechnological tools to improve the biosynthesis of the metabolites of interest from in vitro cultures. Del Villar-Martínez has published 25 peer-reviewed research papers, 2 book chapters, among other reviews and abstracts.

Juan Arturo Ragazzo-Sánchez, Ph.D is a Professor-Researcher at Tecnológico Nacional de México / Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic, in the Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Department of Food Science. He is Chemical Engineering and MSc in Biochemical Engineering, from Instituto Tecnológico de Veracruz. Later, he received PhD in “Food Sciences” from Doctoral School of Biological and Industrial Sciences and Processes (University of Montpellier –France). Ragazzo-Sanchez has published 75 peer-reviewed research papers, 12 book chapters, edited 1 book, leaded more than 50 research projects, 5 patents and many other reviews and abstracts. In 2019 he is Co-Coordinator of the DESEAAR- CYTED Network, 319RT0576 (Desarrollo sostenible en Agroalimentación y Aprovechamiento de Residuos industriales).

Pablo Emilio Vanegas-Espinoza, Ph.D is a Researcher at Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos (CEPROBI) of Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), in the Molecular Biology Laboratory, from the Department of Biotechnology. As a professor, he teaches subjects such as Molecular Biology, Selected Topics on Secondary Metabolites in Plants, Biotechnology of in vitro Cultures, he supervises research of ungraduated/graduate students. He is an Agricultural Engineer in Horticulture and MSc and Ph.D in Plant Biotechology, from Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV-IPN), Campus Guanajuato, México. Working in plant cell culture and genetic transformation for more than 25 years.

Octavio Paredes-López, Ph.D., is a biochemical engineer and food scientist, obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in biochemical engineering at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City, and later earned a master's degree in biochemical engineering at Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague. He earned a PhD (1980) at the University of Manitoba, Canada, which awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science in 2005. He has authored over 300 publications in indexed journals, book chapters, and books and over 150 articles in newspapers in Mexico, USA and France. His h-index is 55.