Purple Tomatoes?

Purple Tomatoes? I have heard of yellow tomatoes, pink tomatoes, green tomatoes (not the unripe kind), black tomatoes, brown tomatoes, light purple tomatoes, orange tomatoes, white tomatoes and of course the ubiquitous red tomato. But a dark purple tomato like you see on the left?

Thank you genetic engineering!!!

The following is an except of an article on www.foodconsumer.org You can read the entire article here: at www.foodconsumer.org
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Now that we have tried and failed to win the cancer war, it's time to change our strategy. A new study suggests that eating a new genetically modified tomato may help prevent many types of cancer.

The study tested a diet full of purple tomatoes rich in anthocyanins, pigments commonly found in blackberries, in mice that lacked the p53 gene commonly known as the "genome guardian". Mice that lack the gene were susceptible for a range of tumors, particularly lymphomas and would die at a very young age.

Researchers from the John Innes Centre, coordinated by Cathie Martin, found that the cancer-prone mice on the diet supplemented with purple tomato powder had their lifespan significantly extended.

The study was published in the Oct 26, 2008 issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology.

For the study, the researchers from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Great Britain, in collaboration with other European centres first inserted two genes called Delila and Rosea1 from snapdragon flower in the tomato genome making the fruit anthocyanins-rich purple tomatoes.
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Ok, so genetically enhancing tomato plants gives them higher amounts of anthocyanins, "...pigments commonly found in blackberries..." The took two genes from a snapdragon and grafted it onto a tomato. Why did they do this? I think this sums it up:

"Most people do not eat 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day, but they can get more benefit from those they do eat if common fruit and veg can be developed that are higher in bioactive compounds," says Prof Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre

And by the way, they haven't tested the tomato yet for human toxicity.

Everyone is of course entitled to their own opinion about genetically modified food. Personally, I will stick to eating a sliced fresh heirloom tomato with dinner and a bowl of blackberries and cream for desert.
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Do you want more information on real colored tomatoes or want to buy some seed? Just browse over to www.tomatoseed.com/tomato_color.html or www.tomatofest.com