More Aromatic and Tastier Tomatoes Could Be on the Way, Scientists Say
March 7, 2022 The quest for consumers to find more flavorful tomatoes remains a challenge. Luckily, plant breeding scientists from around the globe are on the case to help make what is bland into bold. An international team of researchers, including two from the University of Florida, have found a route to several important nitrogen-containing tomato flavor compounds.
In a new study led by Harry Klee, UF/IFAS Professor Emeritus of horticultural sciences, and Charles Goulet, a Professor of plant science at Universite Laval in Quebec City, Canada, the team showed five compounds are part of a biochemical pathway for synthesis of these important flavor elements, which can add fruity, floral, and more unique profiles to the mix.
Using a closely related fruit, Solanum pennellii, scientists discovered a site on a chromosome essential to produce detectable nitrogenous volatiles in tomatoes, according to Denise Tieman, a UF/IFAS Research Assistant Professor of horticultural sciences.
That data led scientists to identify a step in the pathway to nitrogen-containing tomato flavor compounds.
“Now that we know how these compounds are made in tomatoes, we can identify varieties that have the heirloom version of the enzyme and high levels of these flavor compounds, and we can breed this trait into modern tomatoes to improve flavor,” Tieman adds.
Tomatoes produce many aroma volatiles, including nitrogen-containing volatiles that are relatively rare in other fruits. Since these volatiles are active at low concentrations, increasing their levels does not impact yield or fruit size.
For more details on the research, it is published in the Feb. 2022 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Did you know? Tomatoes are the most valuable fruit produced worldwide. In 2020, American farmers harvested about 12,600 tons of fresh market tomatoes and 11 million tons of processing tomatoes from 273,00 acres, according to stats compiled by the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. In American Vegetable Grower’s 2021 State of the Vegetable Industry report, tomatoes were the No. 1 crop by production.
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