Could we soon have tomatoes that never go soft? British scientists ‘turn off’ gene that makes fruit decay

From scattering them in salads to slicing them in sandwiches, the tomato is a picnic-time favourite – as long as it's not soft.

But the precise mechanisms involved in tomato softening have remained a mystery until now.

Biologists have identified a gene that encodes an enzyme which plays a crucial role in controlling softening of the tomato, which could lead to new varieties of better tasting fruit that stay firmer for longer.