Tomato

Target SHU range

5K – 1M

Across 5 named cultivars in the Volcanic Series, calibrated to realistic heterologous expression yields in tomato.

Market Opportunity

World's most-consumed fruit/vegetable at 182 million metric tons/year. A tomato that burns like a pepper is a category-creating product across sauces, salsas, canning, fresh produce, and the $4.3B hot sauce market.

Engineering Strategy

92% synteny with Capsicum annuum. 4-5 heterologous genes (pAMT, Pun1/CS, KAS, BCAT). Fruit-specific promoters (E8, 2A11, PG) for placenta/pericarp expression. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, 20-40% efficiency. Seed to fruit in 60-90 days.