Research sweetens future of cucumbers

Cucumber lovers might have better-tasting ones in the future, as recent research has identified the genes for bitterness in the vegetable, a study has found.

The study, led by Chinese researchers, was published in Science, a worldwide academic journal, on Friday. It said the factors controlling cucurbitacins, the source of the bitter taste in cucumbers, were found.

"The finding can help farmers grow tastier cucumbers without decreasing the vegetable's insect resistance," Huang Sanwen, the study's primary author, said on Saturday in Beijing.