High‐Yield Formation of Arbutin from Hydroquinone by Cell‐Suspension Cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina

Abstract High‐density cell‐suspension cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina cultivated in a nutrition medium optimized for the production of the glucoalkaloid raucaffricine synthesize hydroquinone glycosides from continuously added hydroquinone with a total yield of 23.87 g/1 (18 g/1 of arbutin and 5.87 g/1 of a hydroquinone diglycoside) in 7 days. This arbutin production is by far the highest formation of a natural product by plant‐cell‐culture systems reported to date.