Chinese scientists have developed the world's first tomatoes with a 'buttered popcorn' aroma using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. The breakthrough aims to address the loss of flavour that occurs in tomatoes during transport and storage.
Researchers targeted the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (BADH2) gene, which when disrupted leads to accumulation of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP), the compound responsible for the popcorn-like scent. By blocking both SlBADH1 and SlBADH2 gene variants, they created mutant tomato lines with significantly higher 2-AP content.
The study, published in the Journal of Integrative Agriculture, found that the mutant tomatoes did not differ from wild types in key traits such as flowering time, plant height, fruit weight, sugar and acid content, or vitamin C levels. This indicates flavour improvement without yield loss.
Lead author Shengchun Xu noted that while SlBADH2 played a predominant role, SlBADH1 also contributed to the process. Co-author Peng Zheng said ongoing work aims to introduce this fragrance to elite commercial cultivars, potentially enhancing consumer preference and market value, similar to fragrant rice varieties.
