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 research newly published in Plant Physiology 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.