The orange tomato is just the beginning
Researchers from the Hebrew University recently developed a fiery red tomato, which contains an especially large amount of vitamins and minerals. The tomato was created through genetic engineering, which increased the amount of lycopene in the fruit - a powerful antioxidant that gives the tomato its color. Another tomato that has been engineered - the color of their spot - has a large amount of beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A in the body.
To understand its activity, the researchers - doctoral student Gil Ronan, Prof. Yossi Hirschberg and Prof. Danny Zamir - isolated the gene known as "lycopene-cyclase B", and learned to control it so that it affects the production of both substances and the color of the fruit (a tomato is defined as a fruit because it develops from a flower and contains seeds).
In the red tomato variety, the researchers weakened the activity of the gene, which led to the accumulation of lycopene. On the other hand, in the second strain, the activity of the gene was increased, and as a result, the gene ordered the conversion of lycopene into beta-carotene, which gives the tomato a yellow-orange hue.
Ronen says some food companies have already taken an interest in lycopene-enriched tomatoes because they are looking for effective and safe ways to increase the red color of food products like ketchup. He explains that with the same method you can also paint fruits and flowers. "I also like the mango in its natural color," says Ronan regarding the possibility that commercial companies will use the development to repaint the plant world, "but I can certainly think why the market would want a white sunflower or a red sunflower or maybe a red daffodil." Prof. Yossi Hirschberg added that controlling the garden will allow fruit with improved properties to stand out - such as a richer taste - so that consumers will recognize them easily.
Some scientists believe that antioxidants such as lycopene help delay the development of cancer and heart disease, as well as the aging process. This is because they fight the damage caused to DNA by free radicals.
Although there is no unequivocal conclusion as to the health value of lycopene, more and more studies show that its consumption helps prevent cancer and heart disease. A study from about ten years ago showed that increased eating of tomatoes and a high concentration of lycopene in the blood probably reduced the risk of developing precancerous ulcers in the urinary system. Two Israeli studies have also shown that this substance slows down the growth rate of breast cancer and urinary tract cancer cells, and may even prevent the development of tumors.
A team of epidemiologists and nutritionists from Harvard University examined almost 48 thousand men working in the medical field. It turned out that among those who drank and ate the largest amounts of tomato juice, fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce, the risk of getting prostate cancer was reduced by 21%, compared to those who consumed the smallest amounts of tomatoes and their products.
"Early diagnosis kit" for the color of the tomato
Hebrew University researchers have also developed an "early diagnosis kit" designed to identify which natural tomato plants will produce bright red fruits. Similar to early pregnancy diagnostic kits that detect genes at a very early stage of the embryo, the new diagnostic kit can conduct a genetic analysis during the plant's germination stage, and determine whether the plant will produce particularly red fruits. One of the developers of the kit, Gil Ronan, won the "K" prize yesterday on behalf of the Hebrew University for his invention.
{Appeared in Haaretz newspaper, 31/5/2000}
