Javea Grapevine 337 | Page 50

have also been some unusual activities, such as feeding the fish, climbing the walls on tapes like in a circus and rapelling. There’s also the craze of “coastering” walking along the base of the cliffs at sea-level - an activity which can damage sea life such as the “vermiculat” from : La Marina Plaza. Finding a solution for supermarket tomatoes that don’t taste like tomatoes Scientists in Valencia are using a technique to cut and paste DNA in a bid to reclaim fruit’s flavour. An old saying in Spanish went: “Tomate con sal, jamón de pobres.,” which roughly translates as “Tomatoes with salt: ham for the poor,” and refers to the superb flavor offered by a simple dish for a rock-bottom cost. But perhaps it’s no surprise that the refrain has fallen out of use, given that supermarket tomatoes no longer taste like tomatoes. In 2014, 170 billion kilograms of tomatoes were produced around the world, according to the United Nations. And the truth is, most of them taste like cardboard. Scientists identified the genetic code responsible for the 13 chemical compounds that give them their taste. These compounds are abundant in traditional varieties, but have nearly disappeared in their commercialized counterparts. The finding is so hopeful that it recently made the cover of Science magazine. They are able to change short sections of the tomato’s genome to make desirable mutations. Full story see: El Pais in English