A new with the World Festival of Roses, held in Lyon from 4 April to 10 October 2015, could make good use. The origin of the delicate flavor of this particular plant, coveted since ancient times, has been detected. The best-selling flower in the world owes its aroma to the enzyme nudix hydrolase (RhNUDX1). This type of enzyme is known in all living beings, but this is the first time it is associated with a perfume. Therefore, we also know why certain roses are fragrant: it is precisely because they do not express this gene. The results of this work, conducted by a team of researchers from the universities of Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg and Lyon and INRA, of ENS Lyon and CNRS were published Friday, July 3 in the journal Science.
Marker during selection
The discovery, which the scientific explanation is a bit complicated to understand for the average person, yet is good news the most romantic: the gene may serve as a marker for the selection of roses, and it may soon buy from the florist bouquets made entirely of fragrant roses. It is also hoped that the side of the rose garden park of the Tête d'Or, the information does not fall into deaf ears ...
