The unique taste of 'smoky' tomatoes is caused by one missing enzyme
(Phys.org) —The absence or presence of one specific enzyme causes tomatoes to be described as 'smoky' or not by taste experts. This is the result of research by Wageningen UR, which studied the taste of 94 tomato varieties using expert taste panels. The tomatoes were also evaluated for their metabolite content, such as aroma volatiles, and for their DNA composition. When a tomato plant is able to produce the identified enzyme, it converts precursors of the 'smoky' volatiles into others which are odourless and tasteless. As smoky tomatoes cannot produce this enzyme, the precursors of smoky volatiles are not converted. In these tomatoes, smoky volatiles can be released upon biting and chewing, giving rise to a smoky aroma. This new knowledge can help tomato breeding companies to select more specifically for flavour characteristics. The research was performed within the framework of the Dutch Genomics Initiative, Centre for Biosystems Genomics (CBSG).