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Genetically
Engineered
Tomato is "Heart-Smart"
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Imagine a day when eating spaghetti sauce
or pizza will give you an extra antioxidant boost, possibly decreasing
your risk of heart disease.
That scenario
may not be so far-fetched, according to British scientists at
Unilever Research. They have inserted a gene from the petunia
into tomatoes, boosting the production of flavonoids, a class
of potent antioxidants that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular
disease.
These heart-smart
chemicals naturally occur in tomato skins and other foods, lead
investigator Martine Verhoeyen and colleagues report in the May
issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology. The inserted petunia
gene increases flavonoid production almost 78-fold in the peels
of the tomatoes--a level on par with that seen in onions.
``Flavonoids
are a group of plant secondary metabolites thought to possess
health-promoting properties. They occur naturally in fruits, vegetables,
nuts, seeds and flowers, and therefore form an integral part of
the human diet,'' the authors write. Several ``studies suggest
that increased consumption of flavonoids, as part of a balanced
diet, may help to protect against cardiovascular disease.''
The gene inserted
into the tomatoes codes for an enzyme, chalcone isomerase, that
increases flavonoid biosynthesis, Verhoeyen and colleagues note.
So far, the researchers have been able to grow four generations
of the plants with the new gene.
It may be
several years before these ``super'' tomatoes reach the local
grocer, according to Verhoeyen. The tomatoes retained 65% of the
beneficial flavonoid compounds when processed into paste, representing
a 21-fold increase over regular tomato pastes, the authors note.
What's more, a taste test showed the bioengineered fruits tasted
no different than normal tomatoes.
``There is
considerable interest in the development of food products from
plants rich in protective vitamins or other compounds with potential
health benefits,'' the authors write. ''These new varieties of
tomato may offer opportunities for tomato-based products with
an expanded range of potential health benefits.''
SOURCE:
Nature Biotechnology 2001;19:470-474.
Reference
Source 89
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