How new gene-edited bananas could help reduce food waste.
safefoodmitra.com · 2025-03-12 00:43:14
It is this enzyme that makes bananas turn brown. PPO coming in contact with oxygen breaks down the yellow pigment in bananas to a brown hue. Bruising of the fruit — as is common during its handling — leads to the production of higher quantities of ethylene, and thus speeds up the ripening and browning process.
How was a non-browning banana produced?
The company made precise changes to existing banana genes such that the production of PPO is disabled. This does not stop a banana from ripening, but helps keep up appearances so that the fruit continues to look appetising for longer.
The same gene was silenced in Arctic apples developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. These became the first genetically engineered fruits to be approved for commercial sale in the US, and have been sold in the country (and elsewhere) since 2017. The browning of apples is also caused by PPO.