Geneticists from the University of Nottingham have come up with a way to create tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersicum) with better taste and long shelf life. An article with the results of the work was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Scientists have identified a gene that plays an important role in the ripening and softening of fruits. It encodes the enzyme pectate lyase, which destroys pectin, a polysaccharide that is part of the cell walls of tomato fruits and maintains internal pressure.
The researchers found that if the gene is turned off, the pulp softens much more slowly, but the ripening rate of the tomato remains the same. Gustatory compounds such as acids, sugars and aromatic volatiles also accumulate in tissues at a normal rate.
According to scientists, there is a natural variability in the level of pectate lyase activity in wild tomatoes, which makes them suitable for breeding. This will allow creating new varieties of cultivated plants without the use of genetic engineering methods with improved taste qualities, as well as an increased shelf life after harvest.
To reduce agricultural losses, hybrids are usually created whose maturation process is slowed down. However, increasing the shelf life usually has a negative effect on taste and color.
The tomato is one of the most valuable fruit crops in the world. Breeders are trying to develop high-yielding, more nutritious and pest-resistant varieties of tomatoes, but most often they have a short shelf life.