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Have you ever eaten a perfectly ripe tomato and wondered why you bother? Tomatoes are a staple in sandwiches and salads, and you can throw them in any dish and create an edible food. The flavor of the tomato, however, seems to be in decline for some time now, and scientists think they know why.
In a new study published in Genetic natureResearchers, including those from the Agricultural Research Service and the Boyce Thompson Institute, have mapped the genome of modern grown tomatoes as well as tomatoes that are still growing in the wild. The team has tagged thousands of previously unknown genes, comparing the genomes of cultured tomatoes to their wild relatives, and has made more than just some interesting discoveries.
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By comparing the cultivated tomatoes to their wild counterparts, the researchers noted thousands of genes missing from the products we usually find in our supermarkets. In the relentless quest to develop plants producing larger tomatoes more quickly, growers seem to have inadvertently favored plants that also produce lower-flavored fruits.
"One of the most important discoveries of the construction of this pan-genome is a rare form of a gene called TomLoxC, which differs primarily by its promoter's version of the gene's DNA." said James Giovannoni, co-author of the article, in a statement. . "The gene influences the flavor of the fruit by catalyzing the biosynthesis of a number of volatile compounds involved in lipids (fats) – compounds that evaporate easily and contribute to the aroma."
Based on their own tests, the researchers estimate that the flavor-enhancing gene is only present in about 2% of modern store-bought tomatoes, but that it has been found in more than 90% of the wild tomatoes.
It will still take some time before the grown tomatoes taste great, but careful selection could bring back some of the important genes for the production of aroma lost by the plants since their first domestication.
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