VATIS UPDATE Article

Researchers at Volcani Institute, Israel, have managed to double the shelf-life of bananas by tweaking the genes that control ripening. In the genetically altered bananas, ripening is simply delayed. This means that these bananas can be shipped all over the globe without adverse effects. The bananas’ taste and quality are unaffected by the slower ripening. This would have particular benefits for third-world countries where access to banana shelf-life extending 12°C temperature control is unavailable. Contact: Agricultural Research Organization - the Volcani Center, P.O.B. 6, Bet-Dagan 50250, Israel. Tel: +972-3-9683-226; Fax: +972-3-9665-327.