Flavr Savr tomatoes

Flavr Savr Tomatoes

The vast majority of tomatoes are grown year round in greenhouses and picked and shipped when still green, only to be ripened artificially with ethylene gas upon arrival. Flavr Savr tomatoes contain a aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase II gene, which acts to interrupt an enzyme called polygalacturonase, which acts as a precursor to ethylene as well as breaks down the natural expecting found in the fruit. The gene can be traced back to a specis of bacteria called Klebsiella, which has been known to cause urinary tract infections, and pnemonia in humans. By doing this, the Flavr Savr tomatoes senesce at a much slower rate. This makes it that so these tomatoes can be picked and shipped while red, to better guarantee flavor without the use of ethylene gas. After a few generations of cross breeding these special tomatoes, they had an exceptional flavor. These were first introduced to the FDA in 1992 when a Californian company called Calegene submitted it. It was approved in '94 and introduced to the market, deemed as safe forum an consumption as a food. Later in 1997, production slowed and the Flvr Savr tomatoes switched ownership to Monsanto Company. A major reason in why the Flavr Savr tomatoes did not make Calgene a lot of money, is because much of the supply was damaged in shipped due to all the tomatoes already being ripe, so the desired trait turned out to have a direct downside too. This tomato was the first genetically engineered crop available in the public market, and opened many doors and provoked many inspirations for new applications for anti senescent genes as well as genetic engineering research in general.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gluCG6hoLUo

Works Cited

"The 'Flavr Savr' Tomato Goes on the Market." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

"Flavr Savr." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.