Durian for diabetics is coming soon

A team of Singaporean scientists has discovered the gene that determines the smell of durian. This is the first time the characteristic taste of this fruit has been explained from a genetic perspective.

Scientists in the durian research team. Photo: The Straits Times

Many people in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, love the taste of durian - known as the "king of tropical fruits", but some people cannot eat it because its smell is too strong.

A research team of five people from the National Cancer Institute of Singapore (NCCS) and Duke-NUS Medical School have been researching the smell of durian since early 2015 and recently published the results in the journal.Nature Genetics.

Accordingly, the team used a modern genetic analysis technique to study the Musang King durian variety and discovered that its genome includes 46,000 genes, nearly double that of humans.

Among these, they discovered a gene calledmethionine gamma lyase(MGL) has the ability to regulate the characteristic odor compound of durian - called VSC - which appears abundantly in the flesh, not in the leaves, in the tree, or in the roots.

They also found that the gene was more active in Musang King durians than in Monthong, a milder-smelling variety widely grown in Thailand. In addition, MGL was only active in ripe fruit.

From the above results, the group said it was possible to "turn off" this gene to make durian have a lighter smell.

In addition, the gene identification method used in this study could be used to modify genes to help plants resist disease, tolerate drought, and to adjust certain flavors.

"For example, we can study the genes that affect the sugar content in durian, thereby creating durian varieties for diabetics," said Professor Bin Tean Teh of the research team.

At the same time, he also hopes to contribute to preserving biodiversity in the region, because some types of durian are not of interest due to their low commercial value.

According to TTO