In this study, we have cooked strawberry jam using
transgenic fruits with altered pectin metabolism and we
found significant differences when compared with control
jam. Previous molecular analysis performed in ripe fruits,
showed a significant reduction of pectate lyase gene expression,
being the steady state level of this transcript a 10% of
the level found in control fruit in the case of Apel 14 and a
1% in the case of Apel 23 (Jime´nez-Bermu´dez et al., 2002).
In the two independent lines analyzed, transgenic antipectate
lyase fruits withstand better the cooking process resulting
in an increased content of whole berries in jam. Content
of whole berries after cooking in the presence of sugar is
one of the most representative quality criteria of processed
strawberry (Haffner, 2002; Lefever et al., 2004). The higher