Purple tomatoes coming soon

Researchers at Oregon State University, USA, are perfecting a purple tomato variety - a new combination of color and nutrients. This fruit will have a dark, eggplant-like shell, and be more nutritious.

Pigments that bring purple to tomatoes contain phytochemicals, which can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. After 6 years of testing, this purple hybrid plant will probably appear on your salad plate in the next 2 years.

In fact, this purple tomato originated from a wild plant in South America, rather than being completely created on a transplant plate.

Hundreds of years ago, explorers discovered purple tomatoes in nature, but this plant was never brought to the table because it was small and sometimes poisonous.

In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists collected seeds from purple tomatoes and crossed them with modern plants, to produce safer fruits to eat. The study was stalled until Carl Jones at Oregon State University continued its work by discovering the nutritional value of tomatoes.

Jones found that purple tomatoes, unlike red tomatoes, have high levels of anthocyanins. This is a chemical found in grapes and blueberries, which act as an antioxidant. Purple tomatoes also have a red crust, so it still contains lycopene, another antioxidant ingredient.

Researchers need another two years to grow field trials and stabilize the characteristics of purple tomatoes before they hit the market.

MT