Gene editing could create spicy tomatoes, say researchers
Spicy tomatoes could soon be on the menu thanks to the rise of genome-editing technology, say researchers. It is not the first time experts have claimed the techniques could help to precisely and rapidly develop fruits and vegetables with unusual traits: scientists have already been looking at changing the colour of kiwi fruits and tweaking the taste of strawberries.
But researchers in Brazil and Ireland say such methods also could offer practical advantages, with spicy tomatoes offering a way of harvesting capsaicinoids, the pungent chemicals found in chilli peppers.
[...] Tomatoes and chilli peppers developed from a common ancestor but diverged about 19m years ago. "All the genes to produce capsaicinoids exist in the tomato, they are just not active," Zsögön said.
Capsaicinoids: Pungency beyond Capsicum (open, DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2018.11.001) (DX)
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday January 08 2019, @08:45PM (3 children)
I'm all over this. Sriracha on the vine! Pre-packed natural salsa! Assuming this doesn't have other unforeseen deleterious effects of course.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 08 2019, @09:18PM (1 child)
I guess it will keep the fucking deer from eating it.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday January 09 2019, @12:42AM
Might help with the insects too. I have seen a lot of tomato plants ruined by various bugs. Edit some capsaicinoids in there, maybe a little nicotine, and you're golden.
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(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday January 09 2019, @12:40AM
Sriracha doesn't have tomatoes in it though.
I'm thinking of making some on my own (e.g. fermenting it on a counter, stirring occasionally).
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