Research Article Open Access

In Vitro Prevention of Browning in Plantain Culture

Innocent Chimereze Onuoha1, Chinonye Jemimah Eze1 and Chibuikem I.N. Unamba1
  • 1 Evan Enwerem University, Nigeria

Abstract

Problem statement: The in vitro propagation of plantain (Musa paradisiaca) is still faced with lots of challenges such as blackening or browning of tissues prior to culture due to the oxidation of phenolic compound by polyphenolic oxidase enzyme present in the tissue when excised. Approach: Understanding browning processes in plantain and possible ways of minimizing it during excision of explants with particular emphasis on the use of antioxidants was purposed. Tissues were surfaced sterilized with 0.1% (w/v) HgCL2 for 1-6 min to get a pure culture and then treated for 2 h with different concentrations of 0.1-0.5 mg mL-1 of potassium citrate and citrate (K-C: C) as an antioxidant to check browning while sterile distilled water was used as control. Results and Conclusion: The result showed that contamination free culture (100%) was achieved in the explants treated with HgCL2 for 6 min. Also the various concentration of K-C: C prevented browning within 2 h before culturing the tissues inferring that browning in young plantain excised tissue can be greatly reduced by presoaking or pretreatment with antioxidant solution of potassium citrate-citrate before culturing them.

OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences
Volume 11 No. 1, 2011, 13-17

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ojbsci.2011.13.17

Submitted On: 30 August 2010 Published On: 6 July 2011

How to Cite: Onuoha, I. C., Eze, C. J. & Unamba, C. I. (2011). In Vitro Prevention of Browning in Plantain Culture. OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences, 11(1), 13-17. https://doi.org/10.3844/ojbsci.2011.13.17

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Keywords

  • In vitro
  • tissue browning
  • young plantain
  • Musa paradisiaca
  • culture vessel
  • potassium citrate
  • phenolic compound
  • antioxidant solution
  • lethal browning
  • phenolic compounds
  • Sterile Distilled Water (SDW)