Tomatoes are turning purple? Here's what report claims

Researchers have successfully engineered tomatoes to turn purple, enhancing their nutritional value. These newly developed purple tomatoes are set to hit the shelves of specific grocery stores for the first time, expected to arrive in late spring or early summer. For those eager to cultivate their own, seeds are currently available for purchase, as pre a Fox Weather report.

Cathie Martin, professor and founder of Norfolk Healthy Produce, has come up with the idea of developing purple tomato. Martin during a research found out that tomato gets enriched with additional nutrients and purple pigment once genes from the snapdragon are combined with the tomato, the Fox weather report stated.

Meanwhile, a study published in Microbiology Spectrum, an American Society for Microbiology magazine, found that tomato juice helps eliminate Salmonella Typhi and other bacteria that might harm digestive and urinary tract health, as per ANI report.


Salmonella Typhi is a lethal human organism that causes typhoid fever.

First, the researchers conducted laboratory experiments to determine whether tomato juice killed Salmonella Typhi. Once they determined that it worked, the scientists examined the tomato genome to identify the antimicrobial peptides involved, the report says.

Antimicrobial peptides are very small proteins that impair the bacterial membrane and keep them as intact organisms. The researchers chose 4 possible antimicrobial peptides and tested how well they worked against Salmonella Typhi. This helped them find 2 antimicrobial peptides effective against Salmonella Typhi, ANI reported.

The research team conducted more tests on Salmonella Typhi variants that appear in places where the disease is common.

FAQs:

Q1. What causes typhoid fever?
A1. Salmonella Typhi is a lethal human organism that causes typhoid fever.

Q2. Is there anything called purple tomato?
A2. Yes, there is a purple tomato.