October 28, 2008

Purple tomatoes are good for you

Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Norfolk have developed a special type of tomato, at first site it could look like a huge blackcurrant due to its colour, but in fact, this is a tomato that has been genetically modified by adding genes from plants.

These tomatoes are unlike to be sold in the shops, because of the current rules on GM foods, which could be shame as these tomatoes have some really special qualities, as they are high in anthocyanin.

Anthocyanin’s are found in dark coloured berries, and have been found to slow the growth of certain cancer cells, help fight heart disease and other health conditions such as diabetes and obesity.

This just goes to show that GM technology can be used for health as well as producing hardy crops.

Source [BBC]