Picture post: Purple tomato - October 27, 2008
It’s hard enough to convince children to eat their greens. How hard is it going to be when those greens are a horrific shade of purple? Well, you could tell them it might keep them healthy. (That always works with children doesn’t it?)
By putting genes from the snapdragon into tomatoes, scientists have managed to increase the amount of pigment anthocyanins in the fruit. Eating anthocyanins may protect against diseases and, as the researchers behind this ‘super tomato’ report in Nature Biotechnology, cancer-susceptible mice fed the purple fruit showed “a significant extension of life span”.
Cathie Martin, lead author on the new paper, says (press release):
This is one of the first examples of metabolic engineering that offers the potential to promote health through diet by reducing the impact of chronic disease. And certainly the first example of a GMO with a trait that really offers a potential benefit for all consumers. The next step will be to take the preclinical data forward to human studies with volunteers to see if we can promote health through dietary preventive medicine strategies.
In comments distributed by the Science Media Centre a number of people caution about extrapolating the results to humans. Paul Kroon, of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, notes, “Although this is promising, it would be naive to assume that the same would necessarily occur in humans, but certainly there should be more research to investigate how these foods may be of benefit.”
News coverage
Scientists develop cancer fighting purple tomato – Reuters
Purple tomato 'may boost health' – BBC
Purple 'super tomato' could fight cancer – Marie Claire
Headline watch
Purple pizzas -- just what the doctor ordered – AFP
Image top: whole and cross-section of ripe wild-type and Del/Ros1N tomato fruit.
Image lower: tomatoes harvested at green (left), breaker (middle) and red (right) ripening stages. Upper row are wild; middle row is Del/Ros1C type; lower row is Del/Ros1N type.
Comments
All the press attention this paper is getting seems unwarranted to me, since there is no human data whatsoever, not a single RCT. Since when is Nature in the habit of hyping up unproven science? Maybe some bloggers need to get fired. Some of them apparently think they're real adult journalists.
Posted by: Bobwick | October 27, 2008 07:11 PM
There is no scientific evidence that anthocyanins are beneficial to human health in any way. Antioxidants in general are not an unqualified Good Thing in the human diet, and there isn't even any evidence that anthocyanins have an antioxidant effect if eaten. For all that is known about them, they may be toxic, and lead to mineral deficiencies if consumed. Back in the day, there used to be a scientific basis to medicine. I guess the internet has made everyone an expert, though.
Posted by: Jimwick | October 27, 2008 07:19 PM
where can i buy some seeds or get the seeds. i am a organic gardener. id like to get some seeds and grow for my self please send me some seeds please
Posted by: donald williams | October 27, 2008 10:57 PM
Donald, as an organic gardener, you are not allowed to grow GM plants. This has been decided by the high priests of Organic Agriculture (there's no reason for it, it's just policy).
Posted by: Tim Roberts | October 28, 2008 06:21 PM
Donald, as an organic gardener you are forbidden to plant GM seed. This has been decided by the high priests of Organic Agriculture (there's no reason for it, it's just policy).
Posted by: Tim Roberts | October 28, 2008 06:25 PM
Granting that dietary anthocyanins function as antioxidants in the mammalian systems, there is no reason why other fruits and vegetables that are rich in anthocyanins, such as the purple aubergine or purple cabbage would not deliver similar benefits. If they do, the purple tomato is a technologically involved, time consuming and expensive proposition.
Posted by: C Kameswara Rao | October 29, 2008 08:19 AM
Where can we get the seeds if we are NOT organic farmers? (referring to comment by don williams Oct 27,'08) I grow them with minimal interference, but I wouldn't say it is stricty 'organic'.
Posted by: kathy atwood | November 12, 2008 09:06 PM
I believe I have a purple tomatoe plant growing in my front yard.
They are very small, very dark, they smell & taste like Cherry Tomatoes.
I do not know why they are there. I did not plant them myself, nor have I ever seen them before this year.
If Im not supposed to have them, what should I do with them?
Posted by: Denise Marie | October 20, 2009 11:23 PM