A team from the John Innes Center in the UK has developed a method for producing large quantities of beneficial compounds by growing them in tomatoes. Given how high yielding the fruit is, it could be used to produce the substances on an industrial scale.
The compounds in question are phenylpropanoids. They include substances like Resveratrol – which is found in wine, and has been shown to extend lifespan in animals – and Genistein – found in soybeans and thought to be useful for prevention of certain cancers.
To get tomatoes to produce the substances, the researchers turned to a common garden plant known as Arabidopsis thaliana. It contains a protein called AtMYB12, which activates genes responsible for switching on metabolic pathways that in turn produce the natural compounds. The more of the protein that's present, the more of the compounds is produced.