Gene-Edited Non-Browning Bananas Move Closer to British Shoppers
Tropic, a Norwich-based agricultural-biotechnology company, says gene-edited bananas that resist browning after peeling and slicing are one step closer to British shoppers. The bananas use Crispr-Cas9 to reduce browning and have regulatory approval in 10 other countries.
Sliced banana turning brown before it reaches the table is a common problem. Gilad Gershon, the chief executive of Tropic, said the flesh of the new banana resists browning for an extra day or two, and longer if chilled. He added that the innovation could make it easier to add bananas to prepackaged products such as fruit salads and breakfast pots, as well as reducing waste.
Tropic developed the bananas by using a gene-editing technology called Crispr-Cas9 to alter all three copies of a single gene within the fruit. As a result, the company reduced the production of polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that causes browning. A similar approach has been effective in reducing browning in other produce, including mushrooms.
Tropic said the non-browning bananas could reduce food waste and CO2-equivalent emissions along the supply chain by more than 25 percent. “This could support an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of over 9m tonnes in the banana export market alone,” the company said.
Gershon said Tropic had gained regulatory approval for the non-browning bananas in 10 other countries, including Japan, Brazil and the Philippines. The fruit is already being grown in Latin America.
The development comes as the bananas are being positioned for markets beyond the countries where they have already been approved. Tropic says the fruit keeps its freshly peeled color, a trait the company links to less waste in packaged products and along the supply chain.