Why Do Tomatoes Change Color as They Ripen?
Tomatoes contain two pigments for photosynthesis—chlorophyll, which is green, and lycopene, which is red. When tomatoes start to grow, they contain much less lycopene than chlorophyll, which gives them their green color. But when harvest season arrives, the days shorten and temperatures drop, causing chlorophyll to dissolve and lycopene to take over the shade of [...]
How Tomatoes Lost Their Taste
It’s
no secret that supermarket tomatoes are grown for their looks and not
for their taste, but how where exactly did growers go wrong in developing
taste tomatoes?
Science has the answer, and the culprit [...]
Did a Meteorite Crash Cause Tomatoes to Become Red?
Why
are tomatoes red? Research by Dutch scientists discovered that a stressful
event millions of years ago, like a meteorite crash, triggered the change
in the plant’s genome:
"Such a big genome expansion points to [...]
Tasty Tomatoes
A flavorful tomato is a treasure, while the fruit that gets shipped across national borders and then ripened with ethylene gas is exceedingly tasteless. We tend to think that’s the price we must pay to have year-round produce. But now, scientists at the University of Florida say they have identified the exact chemicals, called volatile [...]
The Plant That Hunts Its Prey
Think
that plants are just sitting around photosynthesizin’, think again: some
plants like the parasitic dodder vine actually hunt.
Consuelo De Moraes
of Penn State University discovered that the parasitic plant can even
sniff out its prey:
Dodder is a parasite—it lives off of other plants. Instead
of waiting around for a suitable host, the vine hunts one down. Conseulo
De Moraes of [...]
Kevin vs. the Tomato
(YouTube link)
There’s nothing a tortoise likes better than a fresh tomato -just ask any tomato gardener! Kevin is no exception, but he desperately needs a teeny little pair of tortoiseshell glasses. He has terrible depth perception. The poor thing does get a bit or two eventually. -via Buzzfeed
What Makes “Fancy Ketchup” So Fancy?
Consider the following ingredient lists:
McDonald’s Fancy Ketchup: Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, salt, natural flavors (vegetable source).
Heinz: Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, natural flavoring.
Hunt’s: Tomato concentrate made from vine ripened tomatoes, high [...]
Does Your Food Look Too Edible?
If you’ve ever thought “this tomato is delicious, but I wish I could make it tackier by painting it gold,” then you’re in luck. Esslack is an edible spray paint that comes in both silver and gold and can be applied to just about any food.
If that’s not enough for you, you can also enjoy [...]
“Watermelon” Tomatoes
The picture above sure looks like a minuscule watermelon doesn’t it? Just imagine biting into it, skin and all, to discover it is entirely tomato-y though. That’s because the adorable creation is actually made from a green zebra tomato shell filled with tomato gel and topped with black sesame seeds. It might not be the [...]
