Biotech Tomatoes for Cosmetics

A new company, Persephone Bio Ltd. formed by Cathie Martin and Eugenio Butelli from the John Innes Centre is working on modified tomatoes to produce high levels of useful compounds. Named after the Greek goddess of vegetation, Persephone Bio Ltd. will use biotechnology to manufacture sought-after bioactive ingredients for the cosmetics industry.

Martin said, "Tomatoes grown for food contain small amounts of cosmetically useful products, such as flavonols and isoflavones, so we have developed varieties that contain much higher levels of these and related compounds that absorb ultra-violet light and protect plants against damage from the sun. We've also created a 'chemical-free' commercial-scale system to extract the ingredients directly from cold-pressed tomato juice."

For more information, read: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/fundamental-bioscience/2014/140804-pr-tomatoes-for-cosmetics.aspx.