科学家培育西柚味的橙子

    U.K. scientists have found a way of making oranges taste like grapefruit.

    Using a form of fruit alchemy, researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a way of modifying* naturally occurring compounds* in oranges to alter their smell and taste.

    They say this could provide a new cheap and plentiful source of grapefruit aroma and flavoring for drinks, food and the perfume industry.

    The technology uses a modified enzyme* to convert a compound found in oranges into the complex molecule* responsible for the distinctive* taste and smell of grapefruit. This molecule is large and complex, meaning it is difficult to synthesis* artificially*.

    Instead industry relies upon it being purified from grapefruit — an expensive and time-consuming* process.

    Yet grapefruit is one of the most commonly used essential oils in the perfume industry and is also widely used to flavor confectionary*, soft drinks and other foods.

    Luet Wong, a chemist at the University of Oxford who developed the new technology, said: “The process requires little energy and generates almost no waste in contrast to conventional* chemical processes. The real benefit is that the end product is completely natural.”(SD-Agencies)