By Rich
Haridy
September 11, 2022
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The tomato has been gene-edited to produce high levels of a
purple antioxidant known to be beneficial to human health (Photo credit: Norfolk Plant Sciences)
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Back in 2008 a fascinating study was published in the
journal Nature
Biotechnology. The research reported on a type of tomato that had been gene
edited to produce high volumes of antioxidants called anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are naturally found in plenty of 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 reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Some types of tomato with naturally purple skins do contain
low levels of anthocyanins but some food scientists wondered if those levels
could be increased with a few genetic tweaks. Two genes were taken from another
plant (the snapdragon) and added to a type of purple tomato. The genes
amplified the plant's ability to produce anthocyanins, resulting in a unique
tomato with richly purple-colored flesh.
The 2008
study reported testing the health effects of this anthocyanin-boosted
tomato on mice engineered to develop cancer. The mice fed a diet supplemented
with the 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 potential to promote health through diet by
reducing the impact of chronic disease," said plant biologist Cathie Martin in 2008. "And
certainly the first example of a GMO [genetically modified organism] with a
trait that really offers a potential benefit for all consumers.”
After a long time spent navigating regulatory processes,
the genetically modified purple tomato is now one step closer to the market
following a tick of approval by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS). This authorization means the genetically modified plant is no
longer regulated with strict controls limiting where and how it can be grown.
It can be safely grown anywhere in the United States like any other allowable
crop.
“When Cathie and I founded NPS [Norwich Plant Sciences]
nearly 15 years ago to bring to market health-promoting, genetically enhanced
purple tomatoes, invented in the UK, we never thought it would take so long to
obtain regulatory approval,” said Jonathan Jones, who has been working with
Martin on commercializing the plant for more than a decade. “This is a
red-letter day for crop improvement, with approval of a beneficial product by
USDA, after careful scrutiny of a detailed information dossier that describes
its properties.”
Over the last few years a number of uses for the enhanced
tomato have been explored. The scientists initially have been focusing on producing an anthocyanin-rich tomato juice that could
be tested in clinical contexts for patients with cancer or cardiovascular
disease.
However, that kind of product still faces plenty more
testing and regulatory hurdles before reaching the market. So the first step
for Martin and Jones will be selling the seeds for these purple tomatoes to
home growers.
The US approval marks the first place in the world to allow
the genetically modified product to be grown. Martin and Jones hope the
tomatoes will be approved in the United Kingdom soon.
“We are now one step closer to my dream of sharing healthy
purple tomatoes with the many people excited to eat them,” Martin said. “The
bittersweet thing is that the tomatoes will be on sale in America and not the
UK as well. But the plus side is that by focusing on home growers we will be
consumer oriented, and we will be able to get feedback and interest needed to
develop other products.”
Sources: USDA, John Innes Centre