New breeding technologies could improve shape, size, color and health benefits of products

July 20, 2018

Forget dull-colored vegetables and fuzzy skin or fruit that lack flavor – the alley of products of the future could offer plant products designed for creative cooks and tough eaters . In a magazine article published July 19 in the journal Trends in Plant Science, two agri-food researchers describe how new breeding technologies have the potential to improve the shape, size, color and benefits of products.

"Novelty causes a lot of shopping for the first time," says Andrew Allan, of the New Zealand Research Institute Plant & Food Research, who co-authored the article with Richard Espley. "If the experience is good, then the consumer will buy again. The choice is the key – there is no risk with more choice."

In their review, the authors describe the rapidity of reproduction with the editing of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene. rely on the addition of a new DNA sequence, as is often the case with other genetically modified crops. On the contrary, these selection technologies allow scientists to edit existing genes, particularly transcription factor genes called MYB, which control many of the key consumption traits of a plant. Information from these experiments can also be used to inform selection criteria in conventional breeding programs.

"MYBs often regulate compounds that generate a wow factor of fruits or vegetables – its color," says Allan. These compounds are also associated with significant health benefits such as lowering cardiovascular disease or vitamins. By using MYBs to elevate these compounds to create a richer color, we can make the products more attractive to consumers and more beneficial to human nutrition. "

It also works for sub-surface changes – for example, apples and potatoes have colorless flesh, which often means that nutrients are concentrated in the skin, modifying the MYBs to produce more large amounts of compounds in apple or potato flesh, scientists can create fruits and vegetables where each bite has the same concentration of vitamins.

The technology is also used to adjust the flavor and texture. Allan is excited by what this progress could mean for the future of our supermarkets, and even suggests that it could usher in "the next green revolution, with more product choices for developed countries, better returns for countries less developed, and more options growing for climate resilience. "To those who may have reservations, he says that new techniques of repro oduction mimic changes to DNA made in nature and can be used to advance conventional breeding and cultivation practices.