Hinokitiol Production in a Suspension Culture of Calocedrus formosana Florin

A suspension culture of Calocedrus formosana Florin was studied as a material for efficient production of hinokitiol. Murashige-Skoog's medium containing 3% sucrose and 1 mg/l 1-naphthylacetic acid was most desirable for cell growth. Cell growth, expressed as fresh cell weight, showed a 20-fold increase after 4 weeks of culture in this medium. Adding potassium acetate or chitosan to the medium increased hinokitiol production. The highest hinokitiol yield, 1700 μg/g fresh cells, was obtained when cells were cultured in the growth medium with chitosan.