Scientists Develop Vitamin A-Enriched Tomato to Fight Global Deficiency

University of Florida scientists have developed a tomato packed with significantly higher levels of vitamin A, a breakthrough that could help combat one of the world’s most widespread nutritional deficiencies.

In newly published research by Jingwei Fu, Denise Tieman and Bala Rathinasabapathi from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the researchers introduce fortified tomatoes with boosted beta-carotene—the compound the body converts to vitamin A. 

“The levels of beta-carotene found in the improved tomatoes are more than those found in market tomatoes and in many beta-carotene-rich foods like kale and sweet potatoes,” said Rathinasabapathi, professor of horticultural sciences at UF/IFAS. 

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