Flavr Savr tomato

[Jonathan_E]

Tomatovillians,

The first genetically engineered fruit or vegetable to be sold commercially was a tomato called the Flavr Savr and marketed under the brand 'Macgregors'. It was sold mainly in California and the Midwest in the mid-1990's. It was genetically engineered to turn off a gene that produces polygalacturonase, an enzyme that makes a tomato soften as it ripens and eventually rot.

Almost all fresh-market tomatoes in the US and Canada are picked when they are "mature green" and made to turn red (but not otherwise ripen) by exposure to ethylene, so that they are still hard when they are shipped. Of course this has a detrimental effect on flavor. The purpose of turning off the polygalacturonase gene was to allow the tomato to ripen on the vine and still be firm enough to be shipped long distances, and to rot less quickly than most ripe tomatoes.

The Flavr Savr sold well, but for various reasons, the company that was behind it, Calgene, did not do well and was sold to Monsanto. Monsanto wanted the company for other genetically modified crops it had developed and was not interested in the tomato. Neither that tomato nor any other genetically modified tomato has been sold in the US since 1997.

My question is this: Did anyone here taste the Flavr Savr (Macgregors) tomato when it was on the market? Was it in fact better than the usual supermarket tomato? I have read in a couple of places that it was not, or not significantly, but I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has first-hand experience.

Thanks,

Jonathan