Award for world’s first seedless pepper

6 March 2012

ANGELLO™, the sweet and seedless pepper from Syngenta, won the prestigious Fruit Logistica Innovation Award in February. A team around breeder Benny Nir developed this ideal snack for adults and children alike.

“I remember the day in my greenhouse, 6 years ago, when I saw the first plant with a few seedless peppers on it,” says Benny. “To know that consumers are now able to enjoy its flavor and texture is really wonderful.”

Unlike standard peppers, the ANGELLO™ pepper has no seeds to remove before consumers can enjoy the fruit. It is also 25% sweeter than standard peppers and has a crunchy texture, making it an ideal snack for children and adults alike.

Even people who normally do not like peppers will enjoy this one. It is ideal as an ingredient in cooking, in salads, at breakfast, playing sport, at work, or in children’s lunch boxes. Preparation is minimal, making it the ultimate healthy convenience food.

Small beginnings

Syngenta’s breeding program to produce the ANGELLO™ pepper began almost 8 years ago. “It started as a small-scale project. We needed two years to produce the first seedless fruits,” explains Benny.

Having achieved this breakthrough, the project became a full-scale conventional breeding program. Using natural techniques, the team began working towards producing the first sustainable, highly-flavored, seedless baby pepper.

Collaboration with consumer specialists

Syngenta worked with a major British retailer from the start. “As breeders, one of our responsibilities is to learn what consumers want. We gain a lot of insights into consumer tastes by working with retailers, who are pioneers in providing products that their customers enjoy,” says Benny.

Although convenience for consumers was the main driver behind the search, the sensory experience was of equal importance. “Flavor and texture are obviously critical. They have to be at least as good, or better, than the existing standard. These elements are important to the consumer so they are important to us as breeders.”

To guarantee an all year round supply, the pepper is being produced in greenhouses in Spain, Israel, and the Netherlands.

A family of products

The innovative breeding program to develop the ANGELLO™ pepper is part of Syngenta’s continuous efforts to introduce new varieties of fruit and vegetables with improved flavor and convenience to meet the needs of consumers.

Our breeding program to generate more innovations in fresh produce under the ANGELLO™ brand continues in Spain, the Netherlands, Morocco, and Israel. Each product will offer consumers exciting and unique sensory experiences with a sustainable premium quality.