We’re bored to tears with ordinary green limes. Fortunately, we don’t have to suffer much longer. New, transgenic limes are on the horizon, taking their hues from blood oranges and red seedless grapes.
Credit: Manjul Dutt
The Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science has published the first pictures of transgenic Mexican limes (above). Developed by researchers at the University of Florida, these limes have an abundance of anthocyanins, responsible for a lot of pigmentation in foliage. They contribute to anthocyanins are associated with health benefits, the researchers want to test these transgenic limes before they’re offered as food. If successful, researchers might try the same trick with oranges and other fruit grown in tropical and subtropical climates — to give us more variety at the store, and more anthocyanins in our diet.
[Journal of the American Society fth or Horticultural Science]