Pre-harvest treatments for flavour enhancement in plant cell cultures

Plant cell culture technology can produce valuable compounds for various industries. Interest in plant cells for food has grown due to challenges in conventional agriculture, including climate change and food supply issues. Bioreactor-grown cells offer high product consistency without pesticide risks. Although plant cell cultures can have high nutritional value, their overall flavour remains mild. This study investigated the induction of flavour in plant cell cultures, specifically focusing on arctic bramble, strawberry, and lingonberry cell cultures. Flavour induction was performed with additives and mild heating. Sensory odour profiling was performed by a trained panel, and selected samples were analyzed for volatile compounds using HS-SPME-GC–MS. Across seven experiments, low-dose ethanol treatment at 0.25–0.50% (v/v) enhanced fruity, berry and sweet odour attributes, with the strongest effects observed after short exposure times. Arctic bramble cells showed the most pronounced fruity response whereas strawberry cells were more associated with berry-like odour Mild heating at 40 °C increased fruity and sweet odours in some cultures but also contributed to nutty notes. Ethanol and commercial juices like grape-cranberry juice increased fruity (on average 2 units on a 0–15 scale), berry, and sweet odours. Volatile analysis identified 114 compounds; ethanol-treated samples were associated particularly with ethyl acetate, acetaldehyde, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, associated with fruity and sweet odours. Low amounts of EtOH can induce desirable flavours in plant cell cultures, making it a cost-effective and safe food additive. Additionally, short incubation in a medium partially replaced by commercial juice shows potential.