A UK company says it has used gene editing to reduce the browning of bananas, raising the prospect of edited fruit appearing in UK supermarkets. The company, Tropic Biosciences, reports that it has targeted bananas’ browning process by editing genes associated with discoloration.
According to the outlets, Tropic Biosciences is based in Norfolk and uses CRISPR-Cas9, a gene-editing technique. The reporting says the company edits three genes believed to drive the fruit’s browning. Both sources frame the work as a potential improvement for consumers and retailers by extending the visual freshness of bananas.
While both articles focus on the same company, location, method, and the number of genes targeted, they do not provide additional details on timelines for approval or commercialization, or on how the edited bananas perform beyond browning reduction. They also do not address regulatory or consumer-acceptance issues in depth.
