APPLICATION OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY TECHNIQUES IN ANTIOXIDANT PRODUCTION

Nowadays, antioxidant compounds are receiving increased attention in scholarly literature as well as in research. Antioxidants are a diverse group of compounds that can neutralize free radicals and thus help prevent diseases that are a consequence of oxidative stress. The most common antioxidant compounds are vitamins (A-carotenoids, C and E), thiols molecules (thioredoxins, glutathione), phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and flavonoids), enzymes and metal ions, as well as others. Plants have been shown to be an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, such as carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamins and betalains. Plant biotechnology uses the genetic engineering of agricultural crops as a means of producing foods rich in antioxidant nutrients, whilst plant cells and tissue culture techniques are used for the in vitro increment of antioxidant compounds in plant cells. There are numerous inspiring and promising reports about the possibilities of plant biotechnology that should provoke and encourage more research focused on antioxidant production from plants. The exogenous antioxidant molecules of important to human health (since endogenous antioxidants can be produced by the human cell itself) and the use of genetic engineering and plant cell culture techniques in antioxidant production in commonly used crops are presented in this paper.