Science on TV: Eurice Project TRADITOM to Rescue Tasteful Tomatoes

Why have tomatoes lost their traditional taste? A recent television report by German public broadcaster ZDF explains how genetic modifications have contributed to the unintended loss of taste in modern tomato varieties. In the interview part, Prof. Antonio Granell, coordinator of the European research project TRADITOM, gives further insights into this matter and explains how, for instance, genetic modifications made the tomato fruit grow bigger while accidently removing the neighbouring genes responsible for the sweetness of the tomato.

The full video (in German) is available through the ZDF media library.

TRADITOM is a Horizon 2020 project focusing on the identification and valorisation of European traditional tomato varieties. The consortium was put together in order to tackle the challenge of making traditional tomatoes in the EU competitive and allow them to coexist with high productivity tomatoes. As one of 16 international partner institutions, Eurice supports the overall project management and coordinates the exploitation and communication activities.