Purple tomatoes: history, development, health benefits, nutrients, and shelf life!

Since your childhood days, you might have seen ripe red tomatoes or their unripe variety of green tomatoes. But soon, you will have the opportunity to see and eat purple tomatoes. They will hit the shelves of the supermarkets near you by next year.

Purple tomatoes

We are all aware that the tomatoes in their ripe firm are red in color. But soon and by next year, you will be happy to find purple tomatoes on the shelves of the supermarkets near you in the USA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) did a recent press release. In this announcement, they revealed that they have provided approval to a genetically modified purple tomato. A team of scientists from the Norfolk Plant Sciences in Norwich developed this.

It is an England-based research institute. They state:

“Purple tomato may be safely grown and used for breeding in the United States.”

“They are unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated tomatoes.”

Nutrition and safety

But it is not just the color change and longer shelf life in this new variety of tomatoes. The purple tomatoes also are packed with nutrients and are more healthy. Their vibrant purple color is due to the high anthocyanins in them. These are purple pigments and antioxidants that are amply present in blueberries, blackberries, and brinjal. They are good for the body with a lot of health benefits.

Besides this, purple tomatoes will have all the other benefits associated with red tomatoes. It would have the insoluble fiber hood for bowel movements and prevention of constipation. It has vitamin C, other vitamins, antioxidants and minerals that the red tomatoes has. Thus, it is a better version of the red tomatoes.

It was in 2008 that biochemist Cathie Martin, a professor from the University of East Anglia and project leader at the John Innes Centre, first introduced this purple tomato. It was a long wait of 15 years before the nod from the regulatory authority of the USA. Cathie has been working in this field for past 20 years. To create this new variety of tomatoes, she did a successful genetic “on switch” from snapdragon plants.

Her research also showed that cancer-prone mice who ate the purple tomatoes lived 30% longer than those who ate red tomatoes. Additionally, the shelf life of these tomatoes was double that of the red variety.

Launch date

The CEO of Norfolk Plant Sciences’ U.S.-based commercial business, Nathan Pumplin said that this purple variety will launch in the USA in 2023. It is set for worldwide distribution. Cathie was thrilled with the approval and said:

“This is fantastic, I never thought I would see this day,”

“We are now one step closer to my dream of sharing healthy purple tomatoes with the many people excited to eat them.”

Also, read Body inflammation: Can tomatoes worsen the condition?

As regards the price comparison, there is no word still. We will have to wait and watch.