Purple pizzas could fight cancer
Boffins have created a purple tomato which they claim could help fight cancer ... and create an odd looking pizza.
By genetically modifying the humble tomato with genes from snapdragon flowers the researchers have created what some are calling the 'ultimate superfood'.
They say the purple tomatoes grow high in health-protecting anthocyanins which protect against cancer, heart disease and age-related degenerative diseases.
Anthocyanins - health-promoting compounds - are commonly found in berries such as blackberry, cranberry but experts say few people eat enough of them to get the benefits.
They hope that increasing the levels in more commonly eaten fruit and veg could make us all healthier ... if they can do that why not just put all the healthy stuff into a Mars bar and be done with it?
"Most people do not eat 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day, but they can get more benefit from those they do eat if common fruit and veg can be developed that are higher in bioactive compounds," says Prof Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre.
"This is one of the first examples of metabolic engineering that offers the potential to promote health through diet by reducing the impact of chronic disease."
Test have so far only been conducted on mice and it is not known if they were served the purple tomatoes with Mozzarella cheese.
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