‘Superfruit’ Purple tomatoes offer ‘anticancer properties’, driven 16 years by Snapdragon genes; Read on…

When European scientists genetically modified a tomato with DNA from the snapdragon flower in 2008, the result was a purple tomato with anti-cancer properties. 14 years later, this royal-coloured GMO (genetically modified organism) has finally been approved by US regulators. ‘We found the plant is unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated tomatoes,’ the USDA said in a statement. The researchers have expressed their excitement that their ‘healthy’ creation will finally be able to make the journey to American tables. Here is a look at why purple tomatoes may be even more nutritious than regular tomatoes and the science behind them.

 Why purple tomatoes are so ‘healthy’?
The ‘purple tomato’ was developed for its improved nutritional value as well as its aesthetic appeal. An international team of experts from Italy, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands initially created it in a lab 14 years ago. To produce purple, anthocyanin-rich tomatoes, the scientists inserted genes from the antirrhinum, a genus of plants also known as snapdragon, dragon flower, and dog flower.

Anthocyanins are pigments that are especially abundant in berries including blackberry, cranberry, and chokeberry. Although they don’t taste or smell, their presence imparts a mildly ‘astringent’, or acidic, taste. They may offer defence against certain malignancies, cardiovascular disease, and age-related degenerative illnesses because of their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, according to some research.

The science behind the purple tomato
The UK’s first GM crop company, Norfolk Plant Sciences, submitted its request for regulatory approval in August last year. In 2008, researchers at the Sainsbury Laboratory described how they expressed genes from snapdragon that induce the production of anthocyanins in snapdragon flowers. These genes were turned on in the tomato fruit, resulting in tomatoes that had higher levels of anthacyanins than previously ever reported in either the peel or flesh of the fruit.

The fact that the tomatoes will only be sold in America and not the UK is a bittersweet development. But on the plus side, Martin stated in the 2022 statement noted earlier, ‘by concentrating on home growers we will be consumer oriented, and we will be able to collect input and enthusiasm needed to develop other goods’.