Commercialization of GM fruit crop plants
A public survey conducted by the EU Eurobarometer concludes an ambiguous response of public respondents on accepting or buying GM foods. People show more preference for GM foods if they are eco-friendly, free from pesticide residues, are tasty and have more flavor, and have low fat content [1]. Academic researchers or biotechnology industries should achieve minimum requirements of consumer preference on GM foods which helps consumers to find compelling reasons to buy GM foods [2]. GM papaya (Carica papaya L.), which is resistant to papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), has been cultivated for human consumption in the USA for more than a decade [3]. Transgenic bananas (Musa acuminata), constitutively expressing the hypersensitive response-assisting protein (Hrap) or plant ferredoxin-
like protein (Pflp) gene from sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum), have been produced to combat banana Xanthomonas
wilt (BXW), caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum [4]. However, because fruit crops are not staple foods, there is more scope for marketing novel GM varieties, developed with novel technologies, that enhance the consumer experience (e.g., with increased levels of antioxidants, better flavor, or sweetness) in addition to improvements such as pest and disease resistance. When biotechnology is used to target the luxury product market, it has gained consumer acceptance. Examples include the blue pigmented roses developed jointly in Japan and Australia using a transgene for the expression of the blue pigment delphinidin. Combining the increased knowledge of the genomes of a range of fruit crops with novel DNA-editing technologies will produce new fruit crop varieties with a range of novel traits. Such varieties could confer increased expression of desirable aromatics or sweetness, as well as contributing to a more sustainable mode of cultivation, such as pest- and disease-resistant phenotypes. Thus, there is scope within the market to offer the consumer a choice of products, including GM products, which have environmental and societal benefits, as well as novelty and enhanced quality, thus enriching the quality of the consumer experience.