The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the approval for the market release of a genetically modified purple tomato developed by a team of scientists from the Norfolk Plant Sciences Institute in the UK.
Purple Tomato.
According to the USDA, the purple tomato “can be safely grown and used for breeding in the U.S.” and “is unlikely to increase the risk of crop pests compared to conventional tomato varieties.”
These purple tomatoes also contain a wealth of nutrients. Their vibrant purple color has been bred to carry a high amount of nutrients, particularly anthocyanins, which are antioxidant-rich pigments that give blueberries and blackberries their deep colors.
It is known that the team of scientists at the Norfolk Plant Sciences Institute, led by biochemist Cathie Martin, a professor at the University of East Anglia and project leader at the John Innes Centre, spent 15 years breeding and waiting for the approval of the purple tomato variety.
To create this uniquely colored tomato, Martin—who has worked in plant pigment production for over 20 years—along with her colleagues used a genetic “switch” from the snapdragon plant and observed promising results.
She and her colleagues not only discovered that cancerous mice fed with purple tomatoes lived about 30% longer than those fed with regular tomatoes, but they also found that the shelf life of purple tomatoes is double that of red tomatoes.
According to Nathan Pumplin, CEO of the commercial business unit based at Norfolk Plant Sciences, the purple tomato is expected to debut in the U.S. in 2023.
“This is fantastic; I never thought I would see this day. Now, we are one step closer to our dream of sharing these healthy purple tomatoes with many people who enjoy eating them,” Martin said.
