西紅柿為什么沒有番茄味了？

Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato’s flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.

你也許會認為，不好吃是因為它們還沒長熟就采摘，還經(jīng)過了長途運輸。運輸過程中番茄往往需要冷藏，這也破壞了它的味道和口感。但現(xiàn)在，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)即使番茄在成熟后采摘并妥善保存，味道也不會有所改善，根源跟基因有關(guān)。

The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a uniform luscious scarlet when ripe.

這個讓人意想不到的罪魁禍首，竟然是番茄身上曾經(jīng)偶然出現(xiàn)的一種基因變異，蕃茄種植者發(fā)現(xiàn)這種變異能帶來一大好處：它會使番茄成熟時看上去無一例外地紅潤。于是種植者將這種變異的番茄跟幾乎所有品種的番茄進行了嫁接。

Now, in a paper published in the journal Science, researchers report that the very gene that was inactivated by that mutation plays an important role in producing the sugar and aromas that are the essence of a fragrant, flavorful tomato. And these findings provide a road map for plant breeders to make better-tasting, evenly red tomatoes.

近日，在一篇發(fā)表于《科學(xué)》(Science)期刊的論文中，研究人員報告稱遭變異破壞的這種基因，在產(chǎn)生糖分和香味的過程中起到了重要作用，正是這種基因讓蕃茄芳香而又可口。取得了這些發(fā)現(xiàn)，人們就找到了方法，可以培育出味道更好、色澤更均勻的番茄。

The discovery “is one piece of the puzzle about why the modern tomato stinks,” said Harry Klee, a tomato researcher at the University of Florida in Gainesville who was not involved in the research. “That mutation has been introduced into almost all modern tomatoes. Now we can say that in trying to make the fruit prettier, they reduced some of the important compounds that are linked to flavor.”

佛羅里達大學(xué)蓋恩斯維爾分校(University of Florida in Gainesville)的番茄研究人員哈利·克里(Harry Klee)說，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)“解答了番茄為何不好吃的原因”，不過他本人并未參與此項研究。“該變異已引介到幾乎所有的番茄品種中。現(xiàn)在我們可以得出結(jié)論，為了使番茄的外觀看起來更漂亮，他們減少了與口味相關(guān)的重要復(fù)合物。”

The mutation’s effect was a real surprise, said James J. Giovannoni of the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, an author of the paper. He called the wide adoption of tomatoes that ripen uniformly “a story of unintended consequences.”

該篇論文的作者之一、美國農(nóng)業(yè)研究所(United States Department of Agriculture Research Service)的詹姆斯·J·喬凡諾尼(James J. Giovannoni)說，該變異的影響的確很令人驚奇。他將這個促使番茄統(tǒng)一成熟的常用技術(shù)稱作“一個結(jié)果讓人始料不及的故事”。