Senesco increases shelf life of tomato

7/06/2000-Senesco Technologies, Inc. announced Wednesday that it has demonstrated the efficacy of its gene technology by creating an improved tomato fruit. The result is said to be a tomato fruit with significantly extended shelf life and other valuable characteristics. Altering gene expression has yielded tomatoes with a thirty to forty day shelf life, while tomatoes without altered gene expression last only fifteen to twenty days. In addition, this change in gene expression gives rise to larger plants with the potential to produce more fruit. Senesco's technology intercedes once ripening is complete and spoilage is about to begin. This ensures that taste, texture and other features will not change, which was a major difficulty encountered in previous attempts to engineer a tomato with extended shelf life. Consistent with the Company's commercialization strategy, Senesco is engaged in discussions with several companies interested in entering into licensing agreements and strategic relationships for the use of the technology in fruits, flowers, vegetables, and agronomic crops.