Brief Communication | Published:

Enrichment of tomato flavor by diversion of the early plastidial terpenoid pathway

Nature Biotechnology 25, 899–901 (2007) | Download Citation

Subjects

Abstract

We have modified the flavor and aroma of tomatoes by expressing the Ocimum basilicum geraniol synthase gene under the control of the tomato ripening–specific polygalacturonase promoter. A majority of untrained taste panelists preferred the transgenic fruits over controls. Monoterpene accumulation was at the expense of reduced lycopene accumulation. Similar approaches may be applicable for carotenoid-accumulating fruits and flowers of other species.

Access optionsAccess options

Rent or Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

from$8.99

Rent or Buy

All prices are NET prices.

References

  1. 1.

    , , & . CRC Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 21, 167–204 (2002).

  2. 2.

    , , & . HortScience 35, 1013–1022 (2000).

  3. 3.

    , & . J. Agric. Food Chem. 35, 540–544 (1987).

  4. 4.

    et al. J. Exp. Bot. 57, 887–896 (2006).

  5. 5.

    et al. Plant Physiol. 117, 1047–1058 (1998).

  6. 6.

    , , , & . Plant J. 40, 882–892 (2004).

  7. 7.

    , & . Science 311, 808–811 (2006).

  8. 8.

    , , & . Plant J. 17, 341–351 (1999).

  9. 9.

    , , , & . Plant Physiol. 134, 370–379 (2004).

  10. 10.

    , , , & . Plant Mol. Biol. 28, 423–435 (1995).

  11. 11.

    , , & . J. Agric. Food Chem. 45, 4435–4439 (1997).

  12. 12.

    & . Phytochemistry 11, 1887–1891 (1972).

  13. 13.

    , , & . Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 216, 605–615 (1982).

  14. 14.

    et al. J. Agric. Food Chem. 53, 3142–3148 (2005).

  15. 15.

    et al. Plant Physiol. 127, 1256–1265 (2001).

  16. 16.

    . Developments in Food Flavors (eds. Birch, G.G. & Lindley, N.G.) 1–21, (Elsevier, London, 1987).

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the Israeli Ministry of Science and by research grant no. IS-3332-02C from BARD (United States–Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund). Publication no. 128/2005 of the Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan Israel. We thank Donald Grierson (University of Nottingham) for kindly providing the polygalacturonase promoter construct. We thank Rivka Barg and Yoram Eyal for useful advice, Ayala Meir for carotenoids analysis, Inez Mureinik for editorial revision of the manuscript, and Avi Rikanati and Erez Unger for assistance in the statistical analyses.

Author information

    • Yoko Iijima

    Present address: Department of Biotechnology Research, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-5-23 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan.

Affiliations

  1. Department of Vegetable Crops, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, PO Box 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095 Israel.

    • Rachel Davidovich-Rikanati
    • , Yaakov Tadmor
    • , Einat Bar
    • , Bentsi Carmona
    • , Nativ Dudai
    •  & Efraim Lewinsohn

  2. Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.

    • Rachel Davidovich-Rikanati

  3. The Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

    • Yaron Sitrit

  4. Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 830 N. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109–1048, USA.

    • Yoko Iijima
    •  & Eran Pichersky

  5. The S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition, Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.

    • Natalya Bilenko

  6. Department of Postharvest Science, The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan 50250 lsrael.

    • Elazar Fallik

  7. New Use Agriculture & Natural Plant Products Program, Department of Plant Biology and Plant Pathology, Rutgers University, Foran Hall, 59 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, U.S.A.

    • James E Simon

Authors

  1. Search for Rachel Davidovich-Rikanati in:

  2. Search for Yaron Sitrit in:

  3. Search for Yaakov Tadmor in:

  4. Search for Yoko Iijima in:

  5. Search for Natalya Bilenko in:

  6. Search for Einat Bar in:

  7. Search for Bentsi Carmona in:

  8. Search for Elazar Fallik in:

  9. Search for Nativ Dudai in:

  10. Search for James E Simon in:

  11. Search for Eran Pichersky in:

  12. Search for Efraim Lewinsohn in:

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yaron Sitrit or Efraim Lewinsohn.

Supplementary information

PDF files

  1. 1.

    Supplementary Methods

To obtain permission to re-use content from this article visit RightsLink.

About this article

Publication history

Received

Accepted

Published

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1312

Further reading Further reading