FOOD QUALITY GENES AND GENETIC MODIFICATION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCE
For many branded food products, the raw material is purchased as a commodity. Food companies provide added-value based on processing technology or marketing. The tools of plant biotechnology, which shorten the time for crop improvement and permit development of novel germplasm, offer the food industry the opportunity to modify raw materials and develop proprietary branded products. Such modifications will permit development of plant cultivars specifically selected for traits with added-value for the processor or the consumer. Biotechnology-developed cultivars offer the opportunity to develop produce that can be branded. The cell genetics tools of clonal propagation, somaclonal variation, gametoclonal variation, and protoplast fusion permit new cultivar development in an intermediate time scale, making them attractive for market introduction of proprietary products. When integrated with conventional breeding, these intermediate-term technologies will permit modification of fruits and vegetables over the course of the next several years. The longer-term technologies of plant genetic engineering will continue to have an impact on manipulation of specific traits, resulting in second-generation products specifically designed for consumers.