Vanilla cultivation in the US will be a reality after genetic unlocking

The United States, the world's largest importer of natural vanilla, will be able to produce it commercially in Florida thanks to the decipherment of its genetic sequence, which allows science to “domesticate” the plant to achieve a “faster, less expensive and quality” crop. The recent discovery is good news for farmers in South Florida, a region that offers the warmth and humidity that this plant requires most of the year, and also for lovers of ice cream, beverages, desserts, cosmetics and innumerable processed products. with the "most popular" of flavors and aromas in the world. "The genome unlocks the ability to tame vanilla with greater precision," explained Alan Chambers, one of the scientists who led the research at the University of Florida (UF). In other words, "we don't have to leave so much to chance," added the expert in tropical fruit breeding and genetics. He stressed that they were able to identify the genes that could be involved in the "biosynthesis of vanillin", ...