A Good Bite of Antioxidants: Purple Tomatoes

Mice fed with purple tomatoes had a significant increase in their lifespan. Humans might also benefit from the protective effects.
s part of the FLORA (Flavonoids and Phenolics for healthy living using orally recommended antioxidants) project, a European effort to expand our knowledge on natural antioxidants, researchers from participating centers have engineered tomatoes containing high amounts of the antioxidant anthocyanin. Cancer-prone mice fed with purple tomatoes had a significant increase in their lifespan. Humans might also benefit from the protective effects if we include them in our diet. Anthocyanins, which belong to the family of antioxidant compounds named Flavonoids, are

mostly present in vegetables and fruits, in the form of red, blue, or purple pigments. Former studies have found that anthocyanins hinder cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, obesity, diabetes, and blindness when properly included in our diet. However, the majority of people in the Western world do not have an adequate intake of these compounds. Thus, producing vegetables and fruits expressing elevated levels of flavonoids, without altering other properties such as taste, is highly desirable.

But, how exactly did scientists achieve anthocyanin-rich tomatoes?

First they took the genes Delila and Rosea1 which normally give snapdragon flowers their color. Both genes function as transcription factors and their interaction promotes the synthesis of anthocyanin in the flower. Eugenio Butelli, one of the authors, explained the results: When the genes were introduced in other plants, [they] turned out to be the perfect combination to produce anthocyanins.. The antioxidant substances build up in the flesh and peel of tomatoes giving them an intense purple color. To find out if these extra anthocyanins had a direct effect on health, scientists included the genetically-modified tomatoes in the diet of mice susceptible to cancer. Compared to normal mice lacking the p53 gene (which develop tumors

If the tomatoes are found to be safe for human consumption, future steps will probably seek to confirm the antioxidant and anti-cancerous effect of purple tomatoes in volunteers. Until then, we should keep eating the five recommended portions of vegetables and fruits a day to prevent

cancer and other effects of free radicals in our odies.

Anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue depending on the pH. They belong to a parent class of molecules called flavonoids synthesized via the phenylpropanoid pathway; they are odorless and nearly flavorless, contributing to taste as a moderately astringent sensation. Anthocyanins occur in all tissues of higher plants, including leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits.

and die at a young age), mice missing the p53 gene that were given purple tomatoes, lived considerably longer than the ones on a standard diet.

An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When the chain reaction occurs in a cell, it can cause damage or death to the cell. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions.