Abstract

Plant cell cultures are a new green biotech approach for sourcing highly active plant ingredients for cosmeticand nutritional applications, by a fully eco-sustainable process with benefits for environmental biodiversity, product qualityand end-user safety. The in-vitro cultivation of plant cells, growing in sterile and highly controlled conditions, allows to achieve the production of phenylpropanoids (PP), also from rare or endangered species. The reduction of the environmental impact, compared to conventional agriculture and extraction procedures, is achieved through a drasticsaving in water, extraction solvent use and negligible soil occupation, together with no use of pesticides and great reduction of industrial waste. Benefits for end-users are a higher safety profile for the total absence of environmental pollutants and a superior level of standardization due to strict control of the culture parameters regulating the plant cellmetabolite content.