What do plums, eggplants, and blackberries have in common? These fruits are all purple! They get their color from a chemical called anthocyanin (an-thuh-SIGH-uh-nuhn), which has health benefits for your heart and brain. Researchers at Norfolk Plant Sciences, a company based in the United Kingdom, have developed the first purple tomatoes packed with this nutritious chemical!

The scientists copied genes—units of hereditary material—from the purple snapdragon flower and inserted them into a tomato plant. The new genes told the plant to produce tomatoes loaded with anthocyanin. The fruits have a deep purple color but taste just like typical red tomatoes. Last spring, purple tomato seeds went on sale to home gardeners. Maybe you’ll get to try one soon!