A Norwich-based biotechnology company called Tropic has developed gene-edited bananas designed to maintain their yellow color and appearance for an extended period after peeling and slicing. The fruit reportedly has identical taste and texture to conventional bananas while staying fresh-looking for one to two extra days, or longer when refrigerated.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs granted a marketing notice for the bananas earlier this month, confirming their precision-bred status. This designation indicates that the genetic modifications could theoretically be achieved through traditional breeding methods, distinguishing them from genetically modified organisms that incorporate DNA from unrelated species. The next regulatory step involves a safety review by the Food Standards Agency, though the timeline for this assessment remains uncertain.
Triopic utilized Crispr-Cas9 gene-editing technology to alter all three copies of a single gene responsible for producing polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that causes browning. The company estimates the non-browning bananas could reduce food waste and supply chain carbon dioxide emissions by over 25%, potentially preventing more than 9 million tonnes of annual CO2-equivalent emissions in the banana export market alone. Current data indicates approximately 1.4 million edible bananas are discarded daily, with roughly one-third of consumers reporting they have thrown away bananas due to minor blemishes.
Triopic has already secured regulatory approval in ten other countries, including Japan, Brazil, and the Philippines, with the fruit currently being cultivated in Latin America. The innovation could facilitate the addition of bananas to prepackaged products such as fruit salads and breakfast pots. Precision-bred plant regulations came into effect in November of the preceding year and currently apply only to England, though authorised foods can be distributed to Wales and Scotland if not processed further, with comparable rules applying to Northern Ireland. No precision-bred organisms have yet received market authorisation in England.
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