Anyone who has ever wondered why some tomatoes can taste so bland might be interested in the work of two Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Fort Pierce, Florida. They are taking two different approaches to enhance tomato flavor.
Jinhe Bai, an ARS chemist, and his colleagues at the U.S. Horticulture Research Laboratory analyzed the effects of two common practices that he suspected affect tomato flavor. Some people refrigerate their tomatoes, and some people dip them in hot water to make them easier to peel, a practice known as “blanching.”
Bai and his colleagues divided 60 standard tomatoes into 3 groups: one group was refrigerated at 41 ?F for 4 days; another group was kept at room temperature (68 ?F) for 4 days and then dipped in 122 ?F water for 5 minutes to simulate blanching; and a control group was kept at 68 ?F for 4 days.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: AgResearch Magazine
