Do tomatoes go to the refrigerator? We've probably always stored them the wrong way. Here because
Tomatoes: is it better to keep them in the fridge or not? How much can the temperature affect its organoleptic and nutritional qualities? A group of German researchers studied how the way of preserving ripe tomatoes could affect their flavor and they came to a conclusion: in the fridge or at room temperature there are no differences in quality. On the other hand, the variety and the level of ripeness of the vegetable itself.
Taking into account the harvesting chain from field to table, in short, the scholars of the University of Göttingen did not find any difference: the tomato variety is the single most important factor. The results of their study were published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science.
The researchers relied on both a sensory panel of experts and chemical analyzes, with the aim of evaluating whether and how taste and nutritional properties (carotenoid levels and sugar concentrations) can be influenced by the type of preservation.
A systematic review
The team started from an assumption: taste and flavor are widely used terms and very often also synonymously. However, taste refers to the gustatory receptors on the tongue (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami), while taste is the result of taste, postnasal smell (perception of volatile aroma through the mouth) and trigeminal, and can be further enhanced by the orthonasal sense of smell ("sniff").
Tomato flavor is a complex interplay of volatile aromas and taste, which is also influenced by visual and material cues in the brain. So far, over 400 different volatile organic compounds have been found in tomatoes, although only a small number contribute to the distinctive flavor. These volatiles are derived from numerous precursors, including fatty acids, amino acids and carotenoids, while other important factors contributing to the perception of flavors in tomatoes are sugars (mainly fructose and glucose) and acids (mainly citric and malic acids) . However, the genetic background plays an important role in the chemical and sensory composition of the fruit as well as the enormous influence of the cultivar, which acts on the perception of flavor, and storage. And not only that: storage conditions can also affect the quality of tomato fruits. There are, the researchers specify, two handling conditions commonly used to preserve tomato fruits at home, in the refrigerator (4-8 ° C) or at room temperature (about 20 ° C).
So in the study, each sample was stored for four days at room temperature or four days in the refrigerator at 7 ° C. Well, the results disproved some previous studies that found that refrigeration had a negative impact on the flavor of a tomato. : inside or outside the fridge, according to German researchers, the result does not change provided that the conservation is short-term.
The flavor, therefore, depends only on the variety:
“It is the tomato variety in particular that has a major influence on flavor. Therefore, the development of new varieties with an appealing flavor can be a step towards improving the flavor quality of tomatoes, ”says Larissa Kanski, lead author of the study. And also, “the shorter the storage period, the better it is for flavor and related attributes. However, we were able to show that, taking into account the entire post-harvest chain, the short-term storage of ripe tomatoes in the refrigerator did not affect the flavor, ”concludes the head of the department, Professor Elke Pawelzik.
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Fonte: Frontiers in Plant Science
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