Frankenfruit: Weird Israeli Fruit Worth its Weight in Gold
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Most of the time, GMOs are just a little bigger, or a little tastier. But one farm in Israel is doing some really crazy stuff with genetically engineered fruit. What if you saw a carrot, took a bite out of it and realized it was actually a strawberry? Yea, they got those. Blue bananas? Check. Worm-shaped berries? That actually sounds pretty gross but “check.”
In recent years, many have become put off by GMOs due to the health risks associated with them. But these fruits and vegetables are actually engineered to be more healthy. Red peppers bred with three times the amount of vitamins, and special chickpeas loaded with antioxidants are proof its not all just wacky ideas, but practical engineering.
The yellow cherry tomato developed by Hazera Genetics has exploded in popularity in Europe – its seeds sell for $160,000 USD a pound! It’s not easy to come up with a winner, nor is it possible to predict what might happen during cross-pollination. Hazera devotes a percentage of total revenue back to R&D comparable with most pharmaceutical companies. The Dr. Frankensteins who work at the former kibbutz do all of the cross-pollination experimentation by hand, and wait patiently for months to see what ends up growing.
If you’re in the United States and want to try a yellow cherry tomato (we assure you, it’s already ripe), Hazera is working with a San Diego-based grower and Americans will start seeing them in markets and maybe even supermarkets later this summer.
We thank The Los Angeles Times for this story.
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