Storing tomatoes in the fridge washes out the flavour, according to US scientists. The cold temperature, anything below 12˚C, has been found to hamper enzymes that help develop the taste. The net effect is that while tomatoes kept in cold storage may look red and juicy, the taste is likely to be ‘insipid’.
The discovery by academics at the University of Florida goes a long way to explaining why a sun-ripened tomato from a market stall in Spain or Greece taste so much better than those on supermarket shelves.
It also demonstrates that value of growing your own in this country and eating them straight off the vine.
Increasingly, farmers and wholesalers use technology to extend the shelf life of fruit in an effort to boost profits and reduce waste.
Cold storage and using certain gas compounds can effectively halt the ripening process. But the research from the US suggests this comes with a downside in terms of flavour.
A team led by Professor Harry Klee stored both traditional and modern tomato varieties at 5˚C for one, three or seven days.
They were then transferred to 20˚C for one or three days, which should kick-start ripening.
They measured the volatile compounds associated with flavour and found that these were reduced by 65 per cent when tomatoes were stored in the cold of a fridge for seven days.
Significantly, these key compounds did not return to a normal level after three days of recovery at a higher room temperature.
The academics carried out blind taste tests with a panel of 76 consumers who judged those tomatoes which had been chilled for seven days were ‘much less flavourful than fruits harvested a day before consumption’.
They concluded: ‘Chilling fruits at temperatures below 12˚C hampers enzymes that help synthesize flavour-imparting volatile compounds, resulting in relatively fresh but insipid fruits.’
It seems likely that the evidence from the research with tomatoes will apply to many other types of fruit and veg that are put in cold storage or fridges in the home.
The findings tally with a consumer study by Britain’s Good Housekeeping Institute. A spokesman for the Institute said: ‘A low temperature halts the ripening process, which is the very thing that gives tomatoes their delicious flavour and aroma.
‘Chilling tomatoes also tends to break down the fruit, which can adversely affect their texture.’
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