Fruits and vegetables that
turn brown within minutes
of being bruised or sliced
may soon be guaranteed
against discolouration, if
ongoing field trials in The
Netherlands and Australia
on genetically-engineered
potatoes succeed (New
Scientist, Vol 145, No 1961)
The browning occurs because of an enzyme called
polyphenol oxiclase (PPO) reacting with phenolic compounds,
present in plant cells. In undamaged fruits and vegetables,
membranes separate PPO and the phenolic compounds.
Simon Robinson at the CSIRO, Australia's national
research body, isolated the gene for PPO and then prepared a
reversed gene that can switch off the original gene.
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