西红柿为什么没有番茄味了？

Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato’s flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.

你也许会认为，不好吃是因为它们还没长熟就采摘，还经过了长途运输。运输过程中番茄往往需要冷藏，这也破坏了它的味道和口感。但现在，研究人员发现即使番茄在成熟后采摘并妥善保存，味道也不会有所改善，根源跟基因有关。

The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a uniform luscious scarlet when ripe.

这个让人意想不到的罪魁祸首，竟然是番茄身上曾经偶然出现的一种基因变异，蕃茄种植者发现这种变异能带来一大好处：它会使番茄成熟时看上去无一例外地红润。于是种植者将这种变异的番茄跟几乎所有品种的番茄进行了嫁接。

Now, in a paper published in the journal Science, researchers report that the very gene that was inactivated by that mutation plays an important role in producing the sugar and aromas that are the essence of a fragrant, flavorful tomato. And these findings provide a road map for plant breeders to make better-tasting, evenly red tomatoes.

近日，在一篇发表于《科学》(Science)期刊的论文中，研究人员报告称遭变异破坏的这种基因，在产生糖分和香味的过程中起到了重要作用，正是这种基因让蕃茄芳香而又可口。取得了这些发现，人们就找到了方法，可以培育出味道更好、色泽更均匀的番茄。

The discovery “is one piece of the puzzle about why the modern tomato stinks,” said Harry Klee, a tomato researcher at the University of Florida in Gainesville who was not involved in the research. “That mutation has been introduced into almost all modern tomatoes. Now we can say that in trying to make the fruit prettier, they reduced some of the important compounds that are linked to flavor.”

佛罗里达大学盖恩斯维尔分校(University of Florida in Gainesville)的番茄研究人员哈利·克里(Harry Klee)说，这一发现“解答了番茄为何不好吃的原因”，不过他本人并未参与此项研究。“该变异已引介到几乎所有的番茄品种中。现在我们可以得出结论，为了使番茄的外观看起来更漂亮，他们减少了与口味相关的重要复合物。”

The mutation’s effect was a real surprise, said James J. Giovannoni of the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, an author of the paper. He called the wide adoption of tomatoes that ripen uniformly “a story of unintended consequences.”

该篇论文的作者之一、美国农业研究所(United States Department of Agriculture Research Service)的詹姆斯·J·乔凡诺尼(James J. Giovannoni)说，该变异的影响的确很令人惊奇。他将这个促使番茄统一成熟的常用技术称作“一个结果让人始料不及的故事”。