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THE end of the tomato season is approaching in the UK, and I am weighing up the performance of the different varieties I grew and deciding which seeds to buy again. Next spring, US gardeners may have a new option to consider: the first genetically modified seeds for home growers could go on sale there, in the form of bright purple tomatoes.

GM food can be controversial, but the scientific consensus is now that plants with modified genes are no more liable to be unhealthy for us than unmodified ones. Foods containing GM ingredients, such as soybeans and maize, have been eaten in the US since the 1990s with no ill effects, but are banned from sale in many other countries. Even in the US, GM seeds are only sold to farmers.

That may change next year, since a GM tomato aimed at home growers has passed a key regulatory hurdle at the US Department of Agriculture. The tomatoes, from UK-based , have been modified to contain high levels of anthocyanins, antioxidant pigments found in other red or purple fruits and vegetables.

Naturally purple tomatoes are already available, but these only have high anthocyanin content in their skin. The GM tomatoes also have high levels in their flesh, leading to 10 times the amount of the compounds per fruit.

Anthocyanins have been shown in animal studies to protect cells from , highly reactive compounds that are formed when energy is released from glucose. Anthocyanins are said to reduce cancer and heart disease and to be part of the reason why people who eat more fruits and vegetables live longer. This hasn鈥檛 been shown in randomised trials in humans 鈥� although that is also the case for most dietary health claims.

The GM tomatoes won鈥檛 be sold with any specific health claims, just the vaguer statement that they are 鈥渘utritionally enhanced鈥�. But these fruits have a benefit that is easier to demonstrate and that I think is more interesting.

The high anthocyanin levels seem to protect them from grey mould, a fungal infection that is often a problem for tomato plants in greenhouses and one that also affects tomatoes after harvest. After picking, the modified tomatoes have of unmodified ones, research by the developers has shown.

at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, who co-founded Norfolk Plant Sciences and led the team that developed the tomatoes, says the seeds should be popular as home growers like trying out new plant varieties.

That is true for me. I am now coping with a glut of tomatoes, and they sometimes go mouldy. If it becomes possible to buy seeds for high-anthocyanin tomatoes in the UK, I will be keen to put them to a taste test. I bet they would look fabulous in a salad.

Clare Wilson is a reporter at 快猫短视频 and writes about everything life-science related. Her favourite place is her allotment @ClareWilsonMed