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Gallons of genetically modified purple tomato juice are being shipped to Britain to be used in trials on heart patients.

The purple fruits have a high level of anthocyanin pigments, which are in ­blueberries and blackberries and are thought to fight cancer and inflammation.

They also have a longer shelf life than regular red tomatoes as anthocyanin slows down the ­development of rot and mould.

The pigment is the result of the transfer of a gene from a snapdragon plant.

They were created near Norwich using £900,000 of EU grants but were grown in Canada as GM regulations across Europe make ­production too expensive.

Professor Cathie Martin, from the development ­laboratory, said: “We want to explore a way for consumers to benefit from our discoveries.

“There is a demand for the added health benefits.”

Green campaigners have organised global protests against similar crops over concerns that genetic ­engineering can be ­imprecise and unpredictable.