Gene-edited bananas that stay fresh after being sliced could soon be hitting the shelves of UK supermarkets, giving shoppers fruit that remains appetising for longer. Created by Norwich-based Tropic Biosciences, the bananas boast a longer shelf life than conventional varieties, potentially helping to reduce food waste and making pre-packaged fruit products more attractive to consumers.
How the browning process is blocked
Tropic employed gene-editing technology to alter three genes linked to the browning process. The modifications suppress the production of polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible for causing the fruit to brown when exposed to air. By targeting this specific process, the firm aims to keep sliced bananas looking fresh for an extended period.
Regulatory progress and next steps
The gene-edited bananas have already cleared one significant regulatory hurdle, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) granting approval of a marketing notice for the product, reports the Express. The next step for the next-generation fruit is a safety review by the Food Standards Agency, which must be passed before they can appear on supermarket shelves.
Impact on food waste and exports
The bananas' improved appearance could prove especially valuable for pre-packaged fruit products such as fruit salads and breakfast pots, where longer-lasting colour could make them more appealing to buyers and reduce the volume thrown away due to discolouration.
Gilad Gershon, chief executive of Tropic, revealed that the flesh of the new banana stayed fresh without browning for an extra day or two - and even longer when refrigerated. An estimated 1.4 million bananas are thrown away every year in the UK due to browning, with a third of consumers (30%) admitting they had binned a banana simply because of a minor bruise or black mark on the skin.
The potential environmental advantages extend further still, reaching into the banana export market, where projected annual CO2 reductions are expected to exceed 9 million tons.
