Plants: The Potential for Extracting Protein, Medicines, and Other Useful Chemicals September 1983 NTIS order #PB84-114743 Recommended Citation: Plants: The Potentials for Extracting Protein, Medicines, and Other Useful Chemicals–Workshop Proceedings (Washington, D. C.: U.S. Congress, Office of Tech- nology Assessment, OTA-BP-F-23, September 1983). Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 83-600588 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Preface The Workshop Proceeding, Plants: The Potentials for Extracting Protein, Med- icines, and Other Useful Chemicals, was prepared in response to a request from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry that OTA examine technological opportunities for commercially developing plant extracts. The pro- ceeding describes some opportunities and constraints of commercially develop- ing plant extracts, examples of some work being done in this field, and workshop participants’ conclusions and recommendations concerning the Government’s role in the area. Ten technical papers and four overview papers are included in the proceeding. Developing new crops or plant products offers a wide range of potential benefits to the United States and developing countries. Crop diversification and new prod- uct development in the United States may substitute domestically produced goods for petroleum and other imports (including strategic and essential industrial materials); provide useful new consumer products; increase productive use of land resources, especially in marginal farming areas; generate employment in areas of underemployment or unemployment; and provide plant-derived biocides that cause little long-term ecological damage as alternatives to certain synthetic pesticides. In developing countries, new crops or new plant-derived products may help stim- ulate cottage industries, increase local and national self-sufficiency, and perhaps provide new export industries. This proceeding addresses these opportunities as well as constraints to and possible impacts of their development. In regard to protein extraction from tobacco, the proceeding states that the risk involved in investment in this technology is perceived to be high, and a con- siderable concern exists that products would have limited marketability because of: ● the health concerns that some attach to tobacco, and ● the changed character of cigarettes and chewing tobacco made from protein- extracted tobacco may not satisfy consumers. OTA wishes to thank the authors of the workshop papers for their efforts before, during, and after the workshop, and the following people who reviewed workshop papers: Alan Atchley, Marvin Bagby, Jack Beal, W. Hugh Bollinger, D.H. Bruhn, Ernest Bueding, Robert Carney, Geoffrey Cordell, Donald De Jong, Carl Djerassi, Raymond Doskotch, Richard Edwards, Donald Heynemon, H. T. Huang, Robert Jacobs, Quentin Jones, Isao Kubo, James Kutney, Julia Morton, David McClintock, Koji Nakanishi, Guillean Prance, L.H. Princen, Paul Scheuer, Francis Schmitz, David Seigler, Yuzuru Shimizu, Sarah Sprague, Allan Stoner, and Heber Youngken. Ill Workshop Participants Robert Adams Pachuab Kwanyuen Manager, Phytochemical Products Leaf Protein International, Inc. Native Plants, Inc. Raleigh, N.C. Salt Lake City, Utah Aklilu Lemma John Becker Senior Scientific Affairs Officer General Manager United Nations Center for Science and Leaf Protein International, Inc. Technology for Development Raleigh, N.C. New York, N.Y. Frederick H. Buttel Frederick L. Mann Department of Rural Sociology College of Agriculture Cornell University University of Missouri Ithaca, N.Y. Columbia, Mo. James A. Duke Ara der Marderosian Chief, Economic Botany Laboratory Philadelphia Colege of Pharmacy and Science U.S. Department of Agriculture Philadelphia, Pa. Beltsville, Md. Gordon H. Svoboda Norman R. Farnsworth Indianapolis, Ind. College of Pharmacy Howard Tankersley University of Illinois Soil Conservation Service Chicago, III. U.S. Department of Agriculture William Fenical Washington, D.C. Institute of Marine Resources Lehel Telek Scripps Institution of Oceanography Science and Education University of California Agricultural Research Service San Diego, Calif. U.S. Department of Agriculture Cornelia Butler Flora Tropical Agricultural Research Station Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and Social Work E. Richard Wheaton Kansas State University Science and Education Manhattan, Kans. U.S. Department of Agriculture Richard R. Harwood Washington, D.C. Rodale Research Center Samuel Wildman Kutztown, Pa. Leaf Protein International, Inc. (retired) Martin Jacobson Raleigh, N.C. Biologically Active Natural Products Laboratory U.S. Department of Agriculture Beltsville, Md. iv OTA Workshop Staff on Plants: The Potentials for Extracting Protein, Medicines, and Other Useful Chemicals H. David Banta, Assistant Director, OTA Health and Life Sciences Division Walter E. Parham, Food and Renewable Resources Program Manager Susan Braatz, Workshop Director Phyllis Balan, Administrative Assistant Nellie Hammond, Secretary Carolyn Swarm, Secretary OTA Publishing Staff John C. Holmes, Publishing Officer John Bergling Kathie S. Boss Debra M. Datcher Joe Henson Glenda Lawing Linda A. Leahy Cheryl Manning v Contents Chapter Page I. Overview of Subject/Issue . 3 II. Abstracts of Workshop Papers . 7 Tobacco Leaf Protein . 7 Endodin Combating Schistosomiasis . 8 Milkweed: A Potential New Crop for the Western United States . 8 Insect Repellents, Attractants, and Toxicants From Arid/Semiarid Land Plants . 9 Commercial Products From Marine Plants . 9 Anticancer Drugs From the Madagascar Periwinkle . 10 Strategic and Essential Industrial Materials From Plants . 10 Information Useful to Plant-Derived Drug Programs . 11 USDA’s Data Base on Minor Economic Plants . 11 111. Summary and Discussion of Each Workshop Paper . 15 Tobacco Leaf Protein . 15 Crystalline Fraction l Protein . 15 Fraction 2 Protein . 15 Green Sludge . 15 Green Residue . 15 Pigments and Other Bio-Organic Compounds . 15 Low-Molecular Weight Compounds . 16 Protein From Tropical Plants . 18 Endod in Combating Schistosomiasis . 21 Milkweed: A Potential New Crop For the Western United States . 24 Insect Repellents, Attractants, and Toxicants from Arid/Semiarid Land Plants . 28 Calamus . 28 Big Sagebrush . 29 Need . 29 Heliopsis Longipes . 30 Mamey . 30 Basil. 30 Mexican Marigold . 30 Commercial Products From Marine Marine Plants . 31 Biomass Conversion . 32 Pharmaceutical Development . 32 Agricultural Chemicals.. 33 Food and Food Products . 33 Enzymes, . 33 Industrial Chemical Feedstocks . 33 Needs for Developing Marine Algal Resources . 33 Anticancer Drugs From the Madagascar Periwinkle . 34 Strategic and Essential Industrial Materials From Plants . 36 Information Useful to Plant-Derived Drug Programs . 40 USDA’s Data Base on Minor Economic Plants . 43 Data ase Files . 43 Prototype Databases . 44 IV. Findings and Discussion . 49 Opportunities . .. .. ....... .. .. .. ... .... ... ..... 49 Constraints to New Crop Development . 52 vii Contents-continued Page Research . 53 Crop Production . 56 Industrial Processing . .. .. .. .. .. ... ... ......O . 56 Marketing . 57 Areas for Possible Congressional Action . 58 Tables Table No. Page I. Potential Domestic Crops and Uses . 37 2. Information to Reincluded in a ata Base for Drug Development From Plants ....41 3. Data Bases Pertinent to Drug Development . 42 Appendix: Technical Papers An Alternate Use for Tobacco Agriculture: Proteins for Food Plus a Safer Smoking Material (Samuel Wildman) . 63 Leaf Protein Extraction From Tropical Plants (Lehel Telek) . 78 Chemicals From Arid/Semiarid Land Plants: Whole Plant Use of Milkweeds (Robert P. Adams). 126 Insecticides, Insect Repellents, and Attractants From Arid/Semiarid- Land Plants . ..