SATICOY BUSINESS MODIFIES TOMATO.

Byline: David Greenberg Daily News Staff Writer

It's all in the tomato's pectin, which makes tomato paste meaty, thick and tasty.

Traditionally, problems occurred in the processing of the paste because the high heat often transformed it into a soupy substance whose flavor had dissipated.

Now, Saticoy-based Seminis Vegetable Seeds Inc. has collaborated with London-based Zeneca Plant Sciences to create the world's first genetically modified tomato, company officials say.

``We knew there was a problem in the production of tomato paste,'' said Mark Stowers, vice president of Seminis. ``We're providing a biological way to (process) the pectin rather than using heat. The result was positive and produced the desired affect, which was a firmer vegetable.''

More than 1.6 million cans of tomato paste - ``puree'' - were sold in England under the names Vegadura and Vegaspeso from its introduction to the market in February 1996 through November 1997.

The product, which has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, is expected to be on shelves in the United States within two or three years.

Seminis is conducting product development and marketing studies.

The biotech tomato's origin can be traced back to an alliance between Zeneca and the University of Nottingham in 1989. The two entities developed a gene to be absorbed into the tissue that will eventually grow into a plant.

The plant will produce tomatoes, which not only have the thicker pectin, but also seeds with the introduced gene.

Because the tomatoes are now processed in 160-degree heat instead of 200 degrees, the thickness and flavor remains intact.

``We did this to prove that we could do it,'' said Nigel Poole, Zeneca's group manager for regulatory affairs. ``It makes me feel rather pleased, actually.''

Once development of the gene was complete, Zeneca needed a firm to oversee the growth of the biotech tomato. It only had to look 6,000 miles to the west.

``To have a gene is one thing,'' Stowers said, ``but if you didn't put the gene into a commercially vibrant tomato seed, then you don't have a product.''

Beginning in 1992, Seminis took the reins of the genetic engineering, placing the gene into the tomato plant and monitoring growth of the vegetables.

Seed production began at its 18-acre farming tract in Woodland, just north of Sacramento and was later conducted across the state. Field evaluations began in 1995 and the product was commercialized a year later.

``While it may seem like a quick development, there was a lot of testing,'' Stowers said. ``A significant amount of effort was spent on validating the performance and safety of the product.''

Seminis, the world's largest vegetable seed company with 22 percent market share, employees 3,100 people and has projected $400 million in sales this year of its 3,400 varieties of vegetable seeds.

Stowers said that within a decade, genetically modified seeds will comprise 20 percent of his company's overall sales.

The company is also using biotechnology to produce vegetables that are more virus- and insect-resistant, as well as more tolerant to weed killers.

``We've formed several partnerships with (other) companies to access the genes,'' he said. ``It's something that gives the growers, processors and consumers the benefit.''

In California, seeds for this variety of tomato are planted from March through late July, with later plantings in the cooler areas. Vegetables are harvested from early June through early November.

With England's balmy temperatures, however, Zeneca is forced to grow its product in southern Spain, Greece and Italy.

Other altered products, such as corn and soy beans, have not caught on with consumers who are uncomfortable with biotech products unless the process is thoroughly explained, he said.

Zeneca alleviated consumer concerns with informative packaging labels and fliers distributed in the stores, Poole said.

``We worked in collaboration with the food industry,'' he said. ``We knew the consumers wanted to know what's in their food.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1) Mark Stowers, vice president of marketing for Seminis Vegetable Seeds, checks tomato seeds drying at the company's Saticoy plant.

(2) Tomato puree made from Seminis' genetically modified seeds is currently available in England.

(3) Charlene Guo studies a DNA analysis of a Seminis-made tomato.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News