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Modifying Tomatoes With Anthocyanins Produces Fruit Less Susceptible To Softening, Rot

May 23, 2013: 12:00 AM EST
British researchers have modified purple tomatoes with the natural pigment anthocyanin, resulting in a doubling of the shelf life of the popular fruit from an average of 21 days to 48 days while maintaining flavor. The new variety of tomatoes solves a serious problem for growers and grocers: post-harvest losses due to rotting. Current methods of preventing rot – e.g., picking the fruits when green then ripening them using ethylene gas – result in loss of flavor. The researchers found that anthocyanins not only retards the over-ripening process that leads to rotting and softening, it retains flavor and makes them less susceptible to gray mold caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea.
Cathie Martin et al., "The world's favorite fruit only better-tasting and longer-lasting", News release,study to be published in Current Biology, May 23, 2013, © AAAS
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