Researchers gene-edit the bitterness out of grapefruit

In the late 1990s, molecular biologist Yoram Eyal, and colleagues at The Volcani Center in Israel, identified the key gene and enzymes responsible for producing the bitterness compounds in grapefruit. Now, using the genome editing technology CRISPR/Cas9, the team has inactivated the gene in a type of grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) to eliminate that bitter taste. “We started from basic research, established the pathway that generates bitter compounds in citrus, and, using genome editing, brought...