Analytical procedure for the estimation of polychlorinated biphenyl transformation by plant tissue cultures

Plant tissue cultures serve as useful models in phytoremediation studies. In order to improve the reliability of the estimation of residual polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in samples for analysis of the ability of plant tissue cultures to metabolise PCBs, different procedures were compared. The approaches used for microbial models were modified. The extraction efficiency, which is the crucial step in using plant cells of different morphology (callus, shoots, roots), can be improved by including homogenization. Control samples containing dead cells have to be used as external standards when differentiated tissues are used.