Genome editing technology has been used by a startup at the University of Tsukuba to develop a tomato variety. Liga.net reports NHK has unveiled the first product of its kind in Japan.
Japanese company Sanatech Seed developed Sicilian Rouge High GABA with the aim of making tomatoes that contain four to five times the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) compared to regular tomatoes. This substance is thought to prevent hypertension.
By removing the auto inhibitory domain from the plant genome, which encodes compounds that limit GABA production, the authors of the “edited” fruit have increased the content of this compound.
Kumamoto Prefecture, in the southwest of Japan, grows tomatoes with “tweaked” genomes in poly houses. Three kilograms of these tomatoes sell for 7,500 yen (USD 68) online.
While the Japanese government does not require that a product label indicate the organism has undergone genome editing, Sanatech Seeds does so specifically as part of their business strategy. “Enhanced with genome editing technology” stickers appear on the company’s packaging.
