Characteristics of immobilized culture of Mentha piperita cells for oil production

To investigate the characteristics of immobilized peppermint (Mentha piperita) cells, dry cell weight (DCW), change of cell viability, and oil productivity of the immobilized cells were determined. Peppermint cells were immobilized in polyurethane (PU) foams of 5 × 5 × 5 mm and cultured in a shaking flask. The maximum DCW was 2.1 mg per foam piece after 20 days of cultivation and the cell density was approximately 420 mg per flask containing 200 foams in 200 ml medium. For the first five days of cultivation, the cell viability was about 80% and decreased to 70% during 5 to 20 days of cultivation. The maximum oil productivity, 148 mg/l was achieved after 40 days of cultivation. The immobilized cells were also cultivated in a bioreactor, equipped with a round spiral type impeller, containing 2,400 PU foams. The cell viability after 30 days of cultivation with chitosan as an elicitor in the bioreactor was 67% and DCW was 2.0 mg per foam piece. Though the cell viability was relatively high in the bioreactor system, the oil productivity was relatively lower than that of the flask system.