Finally, A True Blue Rose Exists
11 hours ago
- Natural roses lack the necessary enzyme to produce blue pigment delphinidin and co-pigments for blue coloration.
- In 2004, researchers created purplish roses by inserting a delphinidin-producing gene but needed co-pigments.
- Suntory researchers inserted four genes from other blue flowers to produce blue pigments and colorless co-pigments.
- The combination of malvidin pigment and isoorientin co-pigment resulted in bluer flowers than with delphinidin alone.
- Engineered roses maintained blue color for up to seven years in Japan and three years in Colombia.
- The team aims to further enhance the blue hue.