PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

Phenolic compounds are one of the highest secondary metabolites in red ginger (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum). The most abundant and powerful phenolic compound is 6-gingerol, which is responsible for the pungent effect in red ginger. Unfortunately, the production of phenolic compounds is influenced by many factors in field-grown red ginger. Hence, it needs a more appropriate technique to produce a higher amount of phenolic compounds. One of the potential techniques is plant tissue culture, which has been known as an efficient technique to grow valuable plants in vitro to generate optimal production of secondary metabolites in controlled aseptic conditions. This study aims to investigate how tissue culture provides the enhancement of phenolic compounds production, related to antioxidant and antibacterial activity. It was expected to provide the defence response of plants due to the treatment added, like hormone, elicitors, manipulation of abiotic conditions, etc. In red ginger, the callus extract showed higher total phenolic content than the rhizomes. The addition of elicitors like yeast extract and salicylic acid succeeded in increasing total phenolic content in ginger. The higher total phenolic content in tissue culture-cultivated red ginger was expected to contribute to higher antioxidant and antibacterial activity. So, plant tissue culture is assumed to facilitate efficient production of secondary metabolites, including phenolic compounds, although its relation to antioxidant and antibacterial activity is still unclear. It may need some further research to prove a direct link between the enhancement of phenolic, antioxidant and antibacterial activity in red ginger’s tissue culture.