Scientists have found the reason why tomatoes sold in supermarkets taste so low.

In a new study published in Nature Genetics, researchers from the
USDA
Agricultural Research Service and the Boyce Thompson Institute have mapped
genes
from artificial cultivation and wild
simmons
The team tagged nearly 5,000 previously unknown genes, compared the genomes of cultivated tomatoes with 3000 of wild tomatoes, and made interesting discoveries.
in 2012, scientists first sequenced the genomes of commonly cultivated tomatoes, a variety of heinz 1706. The new work extends this view to the complete genomes of all regularly grown tomato varieties and their "close relatives". This included all genes from 725 different varieties of tomatoes, and in the process, the team found an additional 4,873 genes that were not included in the Heinz 1706 genome.
comparing cultivated tomatoes with their wild counterparts, the researchers noted that thousands of genes were lost from tomatoes we usually buy in supermarkets. Growers seem to have abandoned features such as taste in their quest to get bigger and more tomatoes faster.
"One of the most important findings in building this pan-genome is a rare genetic form labeled TomLoxC, with mostly different versions of DNA gene initiator," said co-author James Giovannoni in a statement. "The gene affects the taste of fruits by catalysis the biosynthesis of many lipids-volatiles - and these compounds tend to disappear."
their own tests, the researchers believe the taste-related gene is found in only 2 percent of cultivated tomatoes, but in more than 90 percent of wild tomatoes.
, Giovannoni, said: "There seems to be strong selection pressure in the early cultivar varieties of tomatoes, or at least not this version of TomLoxC. The increase in the popularity of this form in modern tomatoes may reflect a new interest among breeders in improving taste.
researchers say getting detailed data on the genomes of so many tomato varieties will help breeders grow more delicious crops that retain genes that allow them to be transported to supermarkets over long distances.