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Scientists have organise a pink pineapple : It ’s unassuming on the outside but a blushing garden pink on the inside . The new " Pinkglow " pineapple , which is grown in Costa Rica , is patented and sell by food heavyweight Del Monte and was 16 class in the making — and it ’s vanish off the shelves .
But what give this genetically engineered tropic fruit its rosy chromaticity ? The flesh is made pinkish thanks to an extra portion of lycopene , a carotenoid and pigment that occurs naturally in pineapples . It ’s also the compound that gives watermelon vine and tomatoes their carmine color .
The “pinkglow” pineapple, grown in Costa Rica, gets its pink color from lycopene.
Inpineapples , lycopene is usually converted to genus Beta - carotene by an enzyme , which make the inside of the pineapple yellow . That enzyme , lycopene beta - cyclase , is muffle in the pink pineapple , and this causes lycopene to accumulate , according to Del Monte’spatenton the new fruit . Because Del Monte has claimed the pink pineapples as rational property , it is the only company allowed to grow them .
According to the letters patent , the lycopene - converting enzyme is muted using a technique known as RNA interference . That means the company add a gene whoseRNAmatches and binds the RNA conduct the subject matter to establish the protein lycopene genus Beta - cyclase , Courtney Weber , works breeding and genetic science expert at Cornell University enjoin . Binding the RNA prevents the cell from making the enzyme . The unexampled gene was then transferred to the pineapple genomeusing a case of bacterium that of course transfer DNAto a host cell as part of its life cps .
The genetic engineering mental process set out in 2005 , concord to the patent . After six old age , Del Monte tested four generation of the plant grow in Costa Rica between 2010 and 2014 . The testing process for a newfangled variety takes a longsighted time , Weber enjoin Live Science .
" You have to essay it , put it in the force field , make indisputable it acquire right , make trusted it ’s an acceptable change , that it ’s productive enough , " Weber say . And the ananas is n’t a specially tight - grow plant .
The garden truck company also develop a " Honeyglow " pineapple with an extra - fortunate inside . In August , Del Monte reported that requirement for the pinkish pineapple isoutpacing supplyand that the Honeyglow and Pinkglow together contribute tohigher vulgar profitthan in the former quarter .
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In grocery stores , the pinkish pineapple costs about $ 10 , or roughly twice the price of standard variety . And online retailer sell a single fruit for $ 29 to $ 39 .
These high prices are a product of scarceness and marketing , Weber say .
" We ’ve visualize that in other potpourri that were not GMO [ genetically modified ] , " he pronounce . For example , Honeycrisp apples and Cotton Candy grapes were both very popular and considerably higher in damage than traditional varieties when they were introduced to the market . As more of these fruits are produce , the price get along down , and that will probably be the case for pink pineapple , Weber said .
