What do plums, blueberries, and blackberries have in common? The fruits are all purple! They get their color from a chemical called anthocyanin (an-thuh-SEYE-uh-nuhn). It’s good for your heart and brain. Now scientists have grown purple tomatoes that have the chemical too!
In 2006, scientists copied genes from a purple snapdragon flower. Genes are bits of material found in cells that help determine an organism’s traits. The scientists added two of the flower’s genes to the tomato’s 30,000 genes. That caused the tomato to produce anthocyanin. It took years for scientists and plant breeders to develop a purple tomato that tasted like a red one.
The seeds went on sale last spring. Maybe soon you’ll get to try one!