Willy Wonka and the grape-flavored-banana factory
Am I wrong to be a little concerned that the latest food research sounds like something funded by Willy Wonka? Consider the headline that popped up in my email Inbox recently: "Enzyme manipulation could give grape-flavored bananas" I swear, I'm not making it up. How many of you had the same gut reaction to it that I did: "Why on Earth would anyone need -- or WANT -- a grape-flavored banana?" If you want something grape-flavored, how about eating, oh, I don't know…GRAPES?! But I've lectured you enough times on reading past headlines, so, I digress… Apparently, researchers have discovered that they can genetically modify a natural enzyme in plants called hydroperoxide lyase (HPL). And by manipulating the HPL, they can also manipulate the substances it regulates, called green leaf volatiles. Green leaf volatiles are what give fruits and vegetables their characteristic smells and flavors. The majority of the article I read gave the impression that the primary focus of this research was, in fact, to "tinker" with the flavors and aromas of produce. But the researchers followed up their excitement at playing Mother Nature by assuring us that their work does have a magnanimous function to Apparently, "the breakthrough could also have important implications for pest control and crop health…By tweaking the volatile release from plants, the scientists could produce plants with built-in, environmentally friendly protection." So that's how they intend to "sell" those of us who don't buy into the whole genetically modified food movement: To claim that manipulating Mother Nature is really good for organic farming. I don't know about you, but I'm certainly not sold, and am perfectly happy continuing to eat bananas that actually taste like bananas. Source:
"Enzyme manipulation could give grape-flavored bananas," NutraIngredients (www.nutraingredients.com), 8/25/08 | 
