Researchers from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida, Jingwei Fu, Deniz Timan, and Bala Rathinasabapathi, have created a tomato variety with an elevated level of beta-carotene. This substance is a provitamin that the human body converts into vitamin A. According to the developers, the beta-carotene level in the new plant exceeds the levels found in kale or sweet potatoes. This was reported by FrutVeb.hu.
Читай нас також у Viber та Telegram.
A deficiency of vitamin A affects 345 million people in 79 countries worldwide, especially children and pregnant women. Experts claim that consuming 50-100 grams of such tomatoes per day may be sufficient to address the deficiency. Tomatoes are an ideal crop for such biofortification, as their annual global production reaches 180 million tons.
“We transferred the CCS gene, which is responsible for carotenoid synthesis in peppers, to tomatoes to increase the accumulation of beta-carotene,” noted Jingwei Fu.
During experiments, scientists crossed the obtained samples and created hybrids that have even higher nutritional value. The fruits acquired an orange color instead of red and contain significant amounts of capsanthin and capsorubin.
“The new varieties surpass commercial tomatoes both in nutritional value and antioxidant content,” emphasized the researchers.
In addition to their beneficial properties, the new hybrids have larger fruit size, better yield, and an improved flavor profile, which is important for consumers.
Views: 4
Теги: antioxidant content, Beta-carotene, Biofortification, Capsanthin, Capsorubin, Carotenoid synthesis, Children’s health, crop production, Deficiency, food security, genetic modification, Hybrid fruits, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Nutrient-rich tomatoes., Nutritional value, plant breeding, pregnancy, Tomato variety, University of Florida, вітамін A
