Chinese scientists modify tomatoes to make them ‘significantly sweeter’

Chinese scientists have successfully modified tomatoes to make them sweeter by removing two genes that regulate sugar content, according to a new study.

The researchers said the modified tomatoes had glucose and fructose levels that were up to 30 per cent higher than the variety they were based on, but the weight and yield was maintained.

“Our finding of the sugar brake genes … provides a possible solution for improving sugar content without reduction in fruit yield for modern commercial varieties, which are preferred by both consumers and producers,” the team said.

“[The] CRISPR-edited ‘sweetness-promoting’ tomatoes may be available to consumers in the near future,” they wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature on Thursday, referring to a genome editing technology.

The team led by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing includes researchers from other institutes in China and Cornell University in the United States.

Most consumers prefer sweeter fresh tomatoes, and higher sugar levels can also increase the economic value of tomatoes when they are processed into other products.