Meet the 17-year-old scientist who makes tomatoes taste like meat and why her experiment could matter | Today’s news
A sandwich made for her father raised an unusual scientific question for Gabriella Rothberg: could a tomato be made to taste like a hamburger? Two years later, this 17-year-old student from Miami is pushing that idea through a biotech project that could eventually change the way certain foods are developed.
A teenage scientist patents a project to develop tomatoes with a meat-like flavor
Rothberg, a senior at Ransom Everglades School in Florida, is working on the Impossible Vines project, which aims to genetically engineer tomato plants to produce heme, an iron-containing molecule associated with the meat’s characteristic flavor.
He is working with Maddison Marshall, a PhD student at the University of Miami, to develop the technology.
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According to reports from The Miami New Times and The Times of India, Rothberg and her father, biotech entrepreneur Jonathan Rothberg, are named as inventors on a US patent issued in June 2026.
Patent granted to Impossible Vines Inc. describes methods of preparing vegetables, including tomatoes, to produce heme.
How could tomatoes taste like meat
Rather than turning vegetables into processed meat substitutes, Rothberg wants to change what the plant itself produces. This approach involves the use of Agrobacterium, a bacterium commonly used in plant biotechnology, to transfer genetic material into plant cells.
The goal is to introduce genetic instructions that allow tomato plants to produce the desired compound. Heme is important to the project because it contributes to the flavor associated with meat and is also used in the development of certain plant-based meat alternatives.
Rothberg described the intended result as biting into a tomato and experiencing the taste of a hamburger. However, this remains an ambition of the project, not a confirmed outcome.
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The tomatoes have not passed a reported taste test or been put into commercial production, and their ability to deliver the intended flavor has not yet been determined.
The research also ran into practical difficulties. The plants did not grow as expected for several months before Rothberg and Marshall discovered that the concentration of the vitamin in their growth medium was not correct. After adjusting the formulation, growth began to improve.
Could this technology improve nutrition?
For Rothberg, the idea goes beyond creating a new food. He hopes the technology could eventually help make certain nutrients available in communities where meat is expensive or hard to come by.
She identified pregnant women in developing countries as one group that could potentially benefit if the technology can deliver meaningful nutritional benefits.
Iron deficiency is a serious public health concern, but whether these tomatoes could provide sufficient absorbable iron remains unproven.
The project also reflects Rothberg’s interest in using artificial intelligence to support scientific work. She said AI tools helped her develop genetic constructs, prepare patent materials and build a business plan.
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Her interest in research was also shaped by her family background. Her father helped pioneer next-generation DNA sequencing, while her mother, Bonnie Gould Rothberg, is a physician and cancer researcher.
For now, the patent marks a step toward developing the technology, not proof that the hamburger-flavored tomato is ready for consumers. Determining its palatability, nutritional value, safety and commercial viability will require further work.
