Biotech Updates

Yeast Gene for Longer Shelf Life of Fruits

July 2, 2010

A study conducted in Purdue University has revealed the secret why tomatoes can stay fresh longer for about a week. Professor Avtar Handa discovered a yeast gene that stimulates the production of the organic compound spermidine, which delays aging and microbial decay in tomatoes. Handa said that this compound may be transferred to other fruits to extend their shelf life.

Handa's collaborator Autar Matoo, plant physiologist from USDA Agricultural Research Service, has studied earlier that polyamines like spermidine could improve nutritional and processing characteristics of tomatoes. He said that "shelf life is a major problem for any produce in the world, especially in countries such as in Southeast Asia and Africa that cannot afford controlled-environment storage."

Handa and Mattoo will continue to study polyamines to discover how they control biological functions in fruits.

Visit http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2010/100628HandaTomato.html for the original story.