In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: Recent Advances and Biological Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of food quality for human health is well understood. There are several challenges that the world population must face in the imminent future, including climate change, which hinders crop production. Plants synthesize several compounds, named secondary metabolites, which play important roles in the plant’s life, e.g., in the reproduction and establishment of symbiosis, as well as in the response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Besides plants, these molecules also exert a wide range of effects in other living organisms, acting as antimicrobials, antioxidants, and antitumor compounds. The vast and versatile pharmacological effects of medicinal plants are basically dependent on their phytochemical constituents.

We are calling for articles in a new Special Issue of Plants entitled "In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: recent advances and biological applications”. In this Special Issue, we aim to publish research articles and reviews on the different classes of secondary metabolites, as well as their role in plants and in the treatment of human diseases. 

This Special Issue will cover wide research topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

1. In vitro mass production and secondary metabolites synthesis;
2. Factors affecting the synthesis of secondary metabolites in vivo and in vitro;
3. The production and utilization of functional biomolecules for industrial applications;
4. The recovery and utilization of useful metabolites from byproduct processing;
5. Abiotic and biotic stresses and secondary metabolism in plants.

Prof. Dr. Cinzia Forni
Dr. Loretta Bacchetta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• secondary metabolites
• in vivo and in vitro plant growth
• edaphic factors
• abiotic and biotic stress
• industrial applications
• bioproducts

Title: In vitro cultures of fruit species as important tool for production of bioactive compounds
Authors: Caboni Emilia; Simona Lucioli
Affiliation: CREA, Rome, Italy

Title: Bioactive compounds and valorization of coffee by-products from the origin. A circular economy model from local practices
Authors: Bojórquez-Quintal Emanuel
Affiliation: CONAHCYT, El Colegio de Michoacán, Mexico
Abstract: The by-products of green coffee processing (husk, pulp, mucilage, parchment) are rich in compounds with recovery potential that are used in the production of beverages, fertilizers, and weed control in production areas. The objective of this work was to identify the organic and inorganic bioactive compounds of the coffee by-products of the production of origin (pulp and parchment), silverskin and green coffee; and the role they have in reuse through practices and local knowledge not yet valued. The metabolomic profile by HPLC chromatography of the aqueous extract of the dried pulp identified 92 non-volatile molecules belonging to groups of organic acids (12), alkaloids (5), sugars (5), fatty acids (3), amino acids (17), phospholipids (7), vitamins (5), phenolic acids (11), flavonoids (8), chlorogenic acids (17), flavones (1) and terpenes (1). Using direct analysis mass spectrometry in real time (MS-DART), in negative and positive mode, metabolites were identified in aqueous extracts of coffee husk, parchment, silveskin and green coffee. The DART analysis mainly showed the presence of caffeine and chlorogenic acids in all the extracts; additionally, sugar adducts and antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols were observed. The mineral content (K, Ca, P, S, Mg and Cl) by EDS spectrometry varied between the by-products and green coffee, the relative content of K was higher in the dry husk and green coffee, and Ca was double in the silverskin. These metabolomic and mineral profile data allow linking the quality of green coffee and by-products to the traditional production area, and the integration of community knowledge in the reuse of by-products, minimizing the impact on the environment, generating additional income in production areas of coffee in accordance with the principles of the circular economy.

Title: Plant carotenoid and apocarotenoid biosynthesis: a colorful story
Authors: Giovanni Giuliano
Affiliation: Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Casaccia Research Center, 00123 Rome, Italy