转基因苹果不会再被氧化了

    A new genetically modified (GM) apple that stops it from browning will be in stores in North America starting in February.

    When an apple’s cells are damaged by cutting, bruising or biting them, the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) starts a chemical reaction called oxidative browning, causing the apple to turn brown. But PPO is absent in Arctic Apple’s because the gene that’s responsible for making it is silenced in these apples.

    Following their first commercial harvest in the fall of 2016, the Arctic Apple brand will be selling their Golden variety in select stores in the Midwest. The researchers introduce apple genes that produce less PPO into apple leaf tissue.

    A successful transformation is confirmed by growing the tissue under special conditions. Once the tissue has grown into plantlets, they graft* it onto rootstock* — the part of the plant that’s underground. Arctic trees can then be planted and grown like any apple tree.(SD-Agencies)