GM Tomato Could Double Shelf Life
A new study conducted by U.K. researchers at The John Innes Centre, Norwich suggests that tomatoes could be made tastier and stay fresh for twice as long, extending shelf life from 21 to 48 days.
The natural pigment in purple GM tomatoes slows down the ripening process that leads to rotting and softening. The study found the purple tomatoes were also less susceptible to one of the most important post-harvest diseases - grey mold caused by Botrytis cinerea, according to the Daily Mail
The findings also have potential applications to other soft fruit - such as strawberries and raspberries.
“Working with GM tomatoes that are different to normal fruit only by the addition of a specific compound, allows us to pinpoint exactly how to breed in valuable traits,” said Professor Cathie Martin. “Our research has identified a new target for breeders to produce tomato varieties that are fuller in flavor, and so more appealing to consumers, and more valuable commercially due to increased shelf life.
“Post-harvest losses due to rotting are such a serious problem for growers and supermarkets that even an increased shelf life of one day would make an enormous difference to them,” said lead author Yang Zhang.
