Flavr Savr Tomato
The Flavr Savr tomato ("taste-preserving tomato"), colloquially known as the anti-mud tomato , is a genetically modified tomato . The gene that codes for the enzyme polygalacturonase and is responsible for breaking down the supporting tissue is blocked on the RNA level with antisense RNA . Using a Ti plasmid , the cDNA of the polygalacturonase gene was incorporated into the genome of the cell in the opposite direction (antisense) under the control of a Ti promoter . By inhibiting this enzyme, which breaks down cell walls during ripening, the Flavr Savr tomato can ripen longer and thus produce more flavoring substances .
When the tomato hit the US market in 1994 as the first genetically modified product , there were hardly any buyers. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that people were afraid of genetically modified foods. On the other hand, the processing and packaging industry at the time was not geared towards ripe tomatoes. High investments in new processing machines would have been necessary. Another negative aspect is that the tomato has poor resistance properties. Ultimately, the tomato was also unable to meet the advertised properties satisfactorily and is practically of no importance today. In the USA it was withdrawn from the market in 1997.
Strictly speaking, the name Flavr Savr only stands for the seed , patented in 1988 , which was developed by the Californian company Calgene Inc. In the spring of 1997, Calgene was bought by Monsanto .
literature
- Belinda Martineau (2001): Food Fight. The short, unhappy life of the Flavr Savr tomato. In: The Sciences. 41 (2): 24-29. PDF
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sanders, RA & Hiatt, W. (2005): Tomato transgene structure and silencing. In: Nat. Biotechnol. Vol. 23, pp. 287-289. PMID 15765076