Some compounds that determine plant species’ characteristics such as the taste of tomatoes can be engineered to produce larger quantities in plants that have few or none of them, researchers at Purdue University have found. “The research ultimately could lead to a variety of uses, such as in improving the taste of fruits including fresh-market tomatoes, in increasing the resistance of plants against pests or diseases, or in producing certain flavors, fragrances and pharmaceuticals,” said Natalia Dudareva, distinguished professor of biochemistry.
Terpenes, a class of volatile compounds, are important because they often determine how fruits taste; how the flowers of a plant smell, thus attracting pollinators; and what characteristics plants might have to repel or defend themselves against pests.
The goal in the research was to determine how metabolic engineering can be used to produce large quantities of monoterpenes, a particular group of terpenes, to improve taste and aromatic qualities of fruits.
The researchers at Purdue used tomato fruits for their metabolic engineering studies to increase production of monoterpenes. Tomatoes are an ideal system for this research because during ripening they accumulate large amounts of carotenoids, the red pigment giving these fruits their characteristic color.
The research was funded by grants from the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund.
Terpenes, a class of volatile compounds, are important because they often determine how fruits taste; how the flowers of a plant smell, thus attracting pollinators; and what characteristics plants might have to repel or defend themselves against pests.
The goal in the research was to determine how metabolic engineering can be used to produce large quantities of monoterpenes, a particular group of terpenes, to improve taste and aromatic qualities of fruits.
The researchers at Purdue used tomato fruits for their metabolic engineering studies to increase production of monoterpenes. Tomatoes are an ideal system for this research because during ripening they accumulate large amounts of carotenoids, the red pigment giving these fruits their characteristic color.
The research was funded by grants from the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund.
