A tomato variety with an entirely purple color, whose DNA has been modified to produce high levels of antioxidant substances, is in the final stretch of the approval process for commercial use in the US. The creators of the genetically modified plant hope to commercialize both the seeds and the fruits, as well as other products made from the genetically modified tomatoes.
The person responsible for the commercial approval application sent to the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) is the British company Norfolk Plant Sciences, as revealed by New Scientist magazine.
“We see purple tomatoes as an opportunity to reach consumers who are looking for fresh foods with more nutrients and who believe in the scientific consensus on the safety of bioengineered food,” he told sheet company president Nathan Pumplin.
The official deadline for analyzing the variety by the USDA is 180 days, a period that ended in February. “We still don’t have news about the decision, but we know that it is a new process, which is being implemented, and it is important to follow all protocols to validate it.”
The variety was developed by Cathie Martin, a specialist at the John Innes Center, a British institution specializing in agronomic research and biotechnology. In research originally published in 2008 in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology, Martin and his colleagues showed that it was possible to modify tomatoes by inserting two stretches of snapdragon DNA (antirrhinum majus), a flower native to the Mediterranean.
These pieces of the flower’s genome correspond to transcription factors, that is, stretches of DNA that regulate the activation of other genes. With their presence, the production of so-called anthocyanins is intensified.
There are indications that these pigments, the same pigments that are behind the dark purple of blueberries and blackberries, have anti-inflammatory properties that could help protect those who consume them from cardiovascular problems or even cancers.
Genetically modified tomatoes carry ten times more anthocyanins, on average, than the natural version of the fruit. However, there are still no conclusive studies that demonstrate beneficial effects of the consumption of these molecules for the human body.
How were purple tomatoes created and what they are for
Genetic Modifications Incorporate Flower DNA
1) The fruits, both normal-sized and cherry tomatoes, receive two genes obtained from the flower known as snapdragon (antirrhinum majus), species widely used for ornamental purposes;
2) The genes inserted in tomatoes are transcription factors, that is, they are responsible for regulating the activation of other genes. Transcription factors cause the fruits to produce and accumulate large amounts of anthocyanins, pigments that give tomatoes their purplish color;
3) Present in vegetables such as blackberries and blueberries, anthocyanins seem to have beneficial effects on the body, with anti-inflammatory properties that would have a positive impact on cardiovascular disease and cancers.
Source: Cathie Martin, John Innes Center (UK)
According to Martin, the technique used to produce the tomatoes today is still essentially the same as it was in 2008.
“The main change that has happened since then is that my lab is able to do the so-called plant transformation process more efficiently. It is possible to propagate purple tomatoes through seeds, and we hope that the USDA approval will allow people to plant seeds and grow their own fruits”, she says.
The researcher says that she continues to work on the metabolic engineering of tomatoes, with the aim of making the plant produce higher levels of vitamins and also the drug L-dopa, used to treat Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that affects the movements of the animals. patients.
Although genetically modified vegetables for human use are quite common in the world and in Brazil today, most of them have undergone changes to increase their resistance to pests. Changes that affect plant properties are less common.
The US even approved a transgenic tomato, called Flavr Savr (something like “taste preserver”) in the 1990s. It ripened more slowly than conventional varieties, which would reduce shipping losses, but commercial success was not enough. to ensure a return on investment, and Flavr Savr stopped being produced after a few years.
According to Norfolk Plant Sciences, purple tomatoes have similar properties, continuing to be edible for twice as long as conventional tomatoes.
