Why tomatoes can't be refrigerated

Chemistry of a tomato

The French know a lot about food, and it was French scientists who have been researching the effects of temperatures on the palatability of tomatoes. In particular, the effects of storing fruits at room temperature and in a refrigerator were compared.

The result is this: at a storage temperature of 20 ° C, a ripe tomato not only does not suspend the release of volatile fragrances, but also enhances their production. Simply put, the tomato becomes even more flavorful.

A completely different situation was observed at a storage temperature of 4 ° C. The fragrant substances not only ceased to be released - similar compounds already contained in the tomato began to break down. Moreover, different compounds have different resistance to low temperatures. In the first place and more than others, the substances that give the taste of the fruit the so-called herbaceous shade were destroyed. It is he who we perceive as a sign of a fresh tomato, and the substances responsible for this quality are destroyed in the refrigerator in the first place.

The problem isn't just chemistry. Plays the role and structure of the fetus. Tomatoes are tender, and not only near-minus temperature can harm them. It is enough to lower the ambient temperature to 10 ° C, and the fetus will begin to break down at the cell level. In fact, it is massive frostbite, which results in a soft, tasteless tomato.

Exceptions: soups and sauces

Against the background of such a negative effect of the refrigerator on fresh tomatoes, it seems strange that soups and sauces based on the same tomatoes, when stored for a short time in the refrigerator, not only do not lose their taste, but often even get better.

Why? The fact is that in the case of a ready-made dish or sauce, we are no longer talking about the pure taste of one product, but about a mixture of tastes, and there is practically no tomato taste there.

After the heat treatment of tomatoes, there is no talk of any volatile aromatic substances - they are not there. Therefore, growers simply do not rely on the true taste of tomatoes. The taste of tomato paste is added with the help of spices. Just add freshly grated tomatoes to your tomato soup at the very end and you will feel the difference.

If you still need to cool

Tomatoes need to be stored at room temperature, but if you really need to refrigerate them, consider the following fact.

Even if the tomato lay in the refrigerator for 6 days, after it was placed at room temperature for a day, the release of aromatic substances was observed to resume. Of course, in a smaller volume, but still.

Scientists are trying to develop special varieties of tomatoes that are resistant to lower temperatures. For this, wild plant varieties that successfully grow in the Andes are being investigated.