Nutriently cultivated purple tomatoes have been recognized as safe to grow by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) after more than a decade of growth. Tomatoes have been gene edited to produce 10 times more antioxidants than existing varieties.
Back in 2008 a fascinating study was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, The research reported on a type of tomato that was gene edited to produce higher amounts of an antioxidant called anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are found naturally in many foods, such as blueberries and red cabbage. They are responsible for the purple pigment in those foods and have been linked to a variety of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Certain types of tomatoes with naturally purple skins have low levels of anthocyanins, but some food scientists wondered whether those levels could be raised with some genetic variation. Two genes were taken from another plant (Snapdragon) and added to a type of purple tomato. The gene enhanced the plant’s ability to produce anthocyanins, resulting in a unique tomato with rich purple-colored flesh.
A 2008 study reported testing the health effects of this anthocyanin-enhanced tomato on mice engineered to develop cancer. Rats fed a diet supplemented with purple tomatoes were found to live 30% longer than mice fed a regular diet.
“This is one of the first examples of metabolic engineering that offers the ability to promote health through diet by reducing the effects of chronic disease,” said plant biologist Cathy Martin in 2008. And of course the first example of GMOs [genetically modified organism] With a feature that actually offers potential benefits for all consumers.”
After a long time navigating regulatory processes, genetically modified purple tomatoes are now one step closer to market after ticking approval by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This authorization means that the genetically modified plant is no longer regulated with strict controls limiting where and how it can be grown. It can be grown safely anywhere in the United States like any other acceptable crop.
“When Kathy and I Founded the NPS” [Norwich Plant Sciences] Invented in the UK nearly 15 years ago to bring to market the health-promoting, genetically enhanced purple tomato, we never imagined it would take so long to get regulatory approval, said Jonathan Jones, who Working with Martin on commercialization of the plant. for more than a decade. “It’s a red-letter day for crop improvement, with the USDA’s approval of a beneficial product, after careful scrutiny of a detailed information dossier that describes its properties.”
The many uses of grown tomatoes have been explored over the years. Scientists were initially focused on producing anthocyanin-rich tomato juice that could be tested in clinical contexts for patients with cancer or heart disease.
However, it still faces a lot of testing and regulatory hurdles before that kind of product can reach the market. So the first step for Martin and Jones would be to sell the seeds for these purple tomatoes to home growers.
The US approval is the first in the world to allow a genetically modified product to be grown. Martin and Jones expect tomatoes to be approved in the United Kingdom soon.
We are now one step closer to our dream of sharing the healthy purple tomatoes with the many people who are excited to eat them, Martin said. The best part is that tomatoes will be on sale in the US, not the UK. But the plus side of this is that by focusing on domestic producers, we will be consumer-oriented, and we will get the necessary feedback and interest to develop other products. will be able to obtain.
Source: USDA, John Innes Center
