Tropic, a Norwich-based agricultural biotechnology company, has developed bananas that maintain their yellow color and freshness for an extended period after peeling and slicing. The fruit retains the same taste and texture as conventional bananas while resisting browning for one to two additional days, or longer when refrigerated. The innovation could facilitate the incorporation of bananas into prepackaged products such as fruit salads and breakfast pots while reducing overall waste throughout the supply chain.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs approved a marketing notice for the bananas, confirming their precision-bred status—a key requirement for market placement. According to the Food Standards Agency, precision-bred status applies to genetic changes that could theoretically have been achieved through traditional breeding methods. This distinction separates precision-bred organisms from genetically modified products, as they do not contain DNA from unrelated species. The bananas were developed using Crispr-Cas9 gene-editing technology to alter copies of a single gene, reducing production of polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible for browning.
The next step requires the FSA to conduct a safety review, though the timeline for completion remains uncertain. Once authorized, the non-browning bananas could reduce food waste and CO2-equivalent emissions by more than 25% across the supply chain, potentially supporting annual CO2 reductions exceeding 9 million tonnes in the banana export market. Current data indicates that approximately 1.4 million edible bananas are discarded daily, with roughly 30% of consumers reporting they have thrown away bananas due to minor cosmetic blemishes.
Triopic has already secured regulatory approvals in 10 additional countries, including Japan, Brazil, and the Philippines, with cultivation underway in Latin America. Regulations for precision-bred plants in England took effect last year, with provisions allowing authorized products to be sold in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland under specified conditions. The non-browning banana would be the first precision-bred organism granted market authorization for sale in England.
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