The main objective of the paper was to scientifically explain the genetic causes of tastelessness in modern tomatoes. Interestingly, the paper shows that the very gene that was intended to improve the coloration and uniformity in ripening is responsible for undermining the sweetness in the tomatoes (Kolata 2012). However, the most confusing aspect of the paper is why the tomatoes first turned dark green instead of the expected normal pale green during experimentation with the gene responsible for uniform ripening.
This article has shown that there is a positive genetic correlation between the genes that cause uniform ripening and tastelessness in modern tomatoes. Despite this finding, one question that I believe will enhance a better understanding of this field would be ‘Is there a way that tomatoes can be genetically reengineered to have uniform ripening as well as flavor?’
Article 2: A genetic fix to put the taste back in tomatoes
The main objective of this article is to explain the genetic process of restoring flavor in tomatoes. This paper describes the scientific process that seeks to establish a compromise between size, sturdiness, and taste in tomatoes and how, through a combination of genes, scientists are able to restore flavor without compromising neither the tomatoes’ marketable traits nor their flavor. Interestingly, while the cause of the loss of flavor in tomatoes is genetic in nature, scientists are taking recourse to traditional breeding methods instead of genetic engineering to restore the flavor in tomatoes (Chang 2017). However,it is rather confusing that traditionally-bred tomato varieties have evident differences in their tastes, asobserved when they are subjected to different categories of tasters.
This paper has presented a good treatise on the scientific possibilities of restoring flavor in bland tomatoes without necessarily sacrificing their size or sturdiness traits which are preferred for marketing purposes. Moreover, to enhance a better and broader understanding of the process of genetic re-engineering of flavor in tomatoes, it will be imperative to ask this question: ‘how long will it take to reintroduce all the 26 responsible genes for the tomatoes to fully regain their original tastes as opposed to the taste variations observed in traditionally-bred tomatoes?
Works Cited
Chang, Kenneth. A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes. 27 January 2017. 13 February 2017.
Kolata, Gina. Flavor is Price of Scarlet Hue of Tomatoes, Study Finds. 28 June 2012. 13 February 2017.