Hunt-Wesson, ICI in Quest for Super Tomato

They cringe at talk of mutant tomatoes, but executives at Hunt-Wesson Inc. are up to their elbows in plans to use genetic engineering to make the fruit--which they pulp, puree, dice, slice, can and bottle--taste and travel better than ever.

On Thursday, Hunt-Wesson and Imperial Chemical Industries in London signed an agreement calling for the Fullerton tomato-processing giant to finance a multi-year effort by ICI’s U.S. research arm in Wilmington, Del., to create a super tomato.

Separately, ICI said it has signed an agreement under which Dole Fresh Vegetables in Salinas will review ICI’s technologies for improving the flavor and quality of tomatoes grown for the fresh-fruit market.

The Dole Food Co. subsidiary, based in Westlake Village, will also explore ways of applying ICI’s technology to other fresh fruit and vegetable products, a company spokeswoman said.

While that agreement simply gives Dole the right to take a look at ICI’s proprietary processes, the pact with Hunt-Wesson is a broader development agreement.

Because tomatoes for processing are picked ripe and shipped long distances, one goal is to create a firmer fruit that has less tendency to soften on the vine or after being picked and is better able to withstand the rigors of shipping without breaking.

In other words, a tougher tomato.

But along with a thicker skin and more meat, Hunt-Wesson officials want a tastier tomato, spokeswoman Kay Carpenter said.

Hunt-Wesson, the world’s largest manufacturer of tomato products, believes that the first crop of genetically improved tomatoes could be used in its products as early as 1995, she said.