For the production of volatile flavour compounds from Agastache rugosa Kunt
ze (Korean mint) suspension culture, callus was obtained from the leaves of
A rugosa. Cell growth of A rugosa suspension culture was improved when cel
ls were cultivated in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 50 g l(-
1) sucrose and 1 mg l(-1) 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Volatiles were is
olated from a 15-day-old suspension culture by liquid-liquid continuous ext
raction and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. 3-Hydroxy-2
-butanone was the most abundant compound, followed by 2,4,5-trimethyl-3-oxa
zoline, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and 1,3-butanediol. However, the volatile pr
ofile of the suspension culture was totally different from that of the inta
ct plant. Fourteen aroma-active compounds were detected by aroma extract di
lution analysis. The most potent aroma-active compounds representing charac
teristic aroma of A rugosa suspension culture were 2,3-butanedione (buttery
/cheese), (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber/melon) and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadieen-1-o
l (cucumber/sweet). Same alcohols and unknown compounds are thought to cont
ribute to the wine-like aroma characteristics of A rugosa suspension cultur
e. Through a time course study, A rugosa suspension culture was revealed to
have an inverse relationship between cell growth and flavour production. (
C) 2001 Society of Chemical Industry.