As of: February 11, 2024, 3:32 p.m
By: Joana Lück
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Not only particularly healthy, but also a real eye-catcher on the plate: a genetically modified, purple tomato variety is conquering the United States.
Tomatoes are usually red, but with a bit of luck you can also find yellow ones in a well-stocked supermarket.
Gardeners also like to use black seeds because old tomato varieties like 'Indigo Rose' are said to taste particularly spicy.
But purple ones?
The fruits, which look like plums or oversized red grapes when ripe, are now available as seeds in the United States.
This type of tomato is said to be particularly healthy.
Anthocyanins make tomatoes so healthy
For the first time in the USA, purple tomatoes are also available for private vegetable cultivation.
(Symbolic image) © Helmut Meyer zur Capellen/Imago
The genetically modified seeds were approved by authorities in the USA as early as 2023, but cannot yet be found in supermarkets.
They have officially been available for purchase there by private individuals since February.
Especially because of their high antioxidant content, GMO tomatoes (“genetically modified food”) are said to be healthy and are praised by nutrition experts.
Snapdragon genes not only give the tomato its purple color, but also provide anthocyanins.
These phytochemicals protect against cancer and skin aging.
Grapes, plums, eggplants, cherries and blueberries also contain these pigments, as do regular tomato varieties.
However, they are present there in lower concentrations.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
The new variety's marketer, Norfolk Plant Sciences, has spent 20 years developing the variety and wants to give GM foods a better image.
As
NPR.org
adds, genetically modified foods represent a current trend that is just beginning.
You can't buy the variety commercially in this country (yet), but there are comparable seeds that produce purple or blue tomatoes.
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GMO – what is it?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must be labeled as such on the ingredients list.
However, auxiliary substances or carrier substances such as vitamins or enzymes do not have to be labeled.
Products that come from animals that have been fed genetically modified feed are also not subject to the declaration requirement.
If you want to be on the safe side that you are not consuming any genetically modified food, you should choose organic products.
You can use the variety like other tomatoes: in salads, for snacking or for a different kind of tomato sauce.