DNA Editing to Prevent Bananas from Turning Brown

It's a problem for any fruit vendor: bananas that turn black before they even reach the table. But such problems could soon be a thing of the past, as bananas that have been genetically modified — to retain their colour — are now one step closer to British consumers. According to Tropic, the Norwich-based agricultural biotechnology company that created the fruit, the bananas have the same taste and texture, but remain “fresh, yellow and attractive long after they are cut”.

Gilad Gershon, CEO of Tropic, said the new banana's flesh resists browning for an extra day or two — and even longer if refrigerated. He added that the innovation could make it easier to use the banana in prepackaged products, such as fruit salads and breakfast items, while helping to reduce food waste.

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Tropic developed the bananas in question using Crispr-Cas9 gene editing technology to modify all three copies of a specific gene in the fruit. As a result, it was able to reduce the production of polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that causes browning. A similar approach has been shown to be effective in reducing browning in other agricultural products, including mushrooms.

Tropic reported that non-browning bananas could reduce food waste and CO2 equivalent emissions across the supply chain by more than 25%.

“This could contribute to an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 9 million tons, in the banana export market alone,” the company said.
Gershon said Tropic has received regulatory approval for the bananas in 10 other countries, including Japan, Brazil and the Philippines. The fruit is already being grown in Latin America.

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