Purple Tomatoes in Development
The purple tomato being developed by Oregon State University doesn’t sound like a Frankenfruit. It actually sounds like a great idea. According to the AP, the purple tomato hybrid was not created entirely in a lab, but gets its roots from a wild species found in South America. Scientists took seeds from purple tomatoes and bred them with modern tomatoes in the 1960’s and 1970’s. But, the research on the purple tomato fell behind until 2000, when the Oregon State team took on the task. The tomato has been under development for six years and could possibly hit the market in two years.
The skin will be as dark as an eggplant and could actually be better for you than a red tomato. The dark pigment of a purple tomato includes the phytochemical that can be found in blueberries. The same phytochemical is credited with reducing cancer and heart disease risk. The purple tomato also contains the lycopene for which its red cousin is so well known.
When given a sneak peek at a Farmer’s Market, reviews were mixed. The researchers recognize that the taste is not as strong as it could be, so are blending Sungold cherry tomatoes into the purple tomato in order to create more flavor.
Seed producers are also developing purple tomato seeds, which may hit the market before or near the time of Oregon State’s purple tomato release.
[Photo from OSU]
Purple tomatoes are nothing new. There are a number of extant “heirloom” tomatoes in varying shades of purple. The “Cherokee Black” comes to mind as a good example. No laboratory tricks required.