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SCIENTISTS have grown genetically engineered purple tomatoes in a bid to promote healthy food.
The tomatoes include two genes taken from the snapdragon flower to enable them to express a compound called anthocyanin, the purple pigment found in blackberries and cranberries.
Previous research has found that anthocyanins offer protection against certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and degenerative diseases, and may also hinder inflammation, obesity and diabetes.
The study is published online today by Nature Biotechnology, a journal of the London-based Nature Publishing Group.
Researcher Cathie Martin, from the John Innes Centre, a biotechnology institute in Norwich, said the point behind the purple tomatoes was to boost the healthiness of diets.
"Most people do not eat (the recommended) five portions of fruits and vegetables a day," Ms Martin said.
"But they can get more benefit from those they do eat if common fruit and veg can be developed that are higher in bio-active compounds."
The team fed the tomatoes to mice engineered to be susceptible to cancer and found the mice "showed a significant extension" of lifespan.
"This is one of the first examples of metabolic engineering that offers the potential to promote health through diet by reducing the impact of chronic disease," she said.
"And (it is) certainly the first example of a GMO (genetically modified organism) that really offers a potential benefit for all consumers."
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