Calgene had got to the US patent office several weeks before ICI, so they got the antisense patent and used it to develop the Flavr Savr tomato. But the innovation failed in the marketplace. Inserting a fish gene into a tomato does not make a tomato “fishy” in the same way that humans cannot breathe underwater. The Flavr Savr tomato was the first GM food crop to be available commercially in the United States in 1994. The Flavr Savr™ tomato had a gene added to prevent the breakdown of cell walls as the fruit ripened. Calgene had got to the US patent office several weeks before ICI, so they got the antisense patent and used it to develop the Flavr Savr tomato. This marker protein allows breeders to identify early in the gene-transfer process which plant cells have successfully incorporated the new trait. The first GM food produced was the Flavr Savr tomato in 1994, touted for its flavor and long shelf life. One gene was a tomato gene modified to keep the tomato firm. The FLAVR SAVR™ tomato was developed through the use of antisense RNA to regulate the expression of the enzyme polygalacturonase (PG) in ripening tomato fruit. The FLAVR SAVR™ tomato is the first genetically engineered whole food to be sold … This enzyme is one of the most abundant proteins in ripe tomato fruit and has long been thought to be responsible for softening in ripe tomatoes. Flavr Savr tomatoes were branded with stickers proclaiming they had been “grown from genetically modified seeds.” This enzyme is one of the most abundant proteins in ripe tomato fruit and has long been thought to be responsible for softening in ripe tomatoes. Flavr Savr Tomato The genetically modified tomato went to U.S. market on May 21, 1994 known as the Flavr Savr. The first genetically engineered crop plant, the Flavr-Savr tomato, had a fish gene that extended its shelf life. The FDA had just ruled that the two extra pieces of recombinant DNA that Calgene Inc. had manipulated into this cultivar posed no appreciable health risks, so these GM tomatoes were as safe for human consumption as their nonengineered cousins. The idea was that by reducing PG, tomatoes could be left longer before harvesting, to develop better flavour, while slowing the deterioration that accompanies ripening. The idea was that by reducing PG, tomatoes could be left longer before harvesting, to develop better flavour, while slowing the deterioration that accompanies ripening. The genetic modification allowed these tomatoes to remain firm even after extended shipping and storage times. approval of the Flavr Savr tomato, Calgene sought FDA's review anyway.