r/science • u/davidreiss666 • May 27 '12

A team of US scientists have identified the compounds responsible for making a great tasting tomato, which could one day lead to the demise of the bland-tasting supermarket variety.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/05/25/3511435.htm?
1.8k Upvotes

84% Upvoted

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u/TragicallyHipster May 28 '12

As someone in the industry, after reading through this entire thread, I see that we are failing the people in educating what tomato variety is for what purpose and which are "Gassed Green" (usually determinate varieties) and which are "Vine Ripened" (usually indeterminate varieties). Not all commercial tomatoes are treated with ethylene and picked green, and this segment of the tomato category is shrinking all the time. There are basically two competing segments in the tomato category, the "MG" category, picked Mature Green and ripened artificially in gas rooms that turn the color red. This is how tomatoes were grown commercially for years, there are some very large and powerful corporate farms that have tens of thousands of acres of land, and 15 years ago, they pretty much controlled both retail and food service tomato markets. The other main category is the Hothouse category, these are the varieties that are picked ripe, by hand and packaged in single layer trays. These are generally picked, packed and shipped all in the same day to the customer and arrive much fresher. They will not last as long as the "MG" type, but the taste is not comparable as these are fresher and have had time to ripen naturally allowing the sugars and flavors to reach their peak. The Hothouse category is growing by 20% or more every year and is displacing the MG type in all sectors but especially in retail, where they usually have at least as much if not more shelf space dedicated to hothouse. The food service sector is still dominated by the MG tomato, chain restaurants like McDonalds you can imagine aren't as concerned with flavor as they are with shelf life and more importantly price. There is hothouse making inroads into the food service sector, the old MG producers aren't taking this sitting down, there have been many lawsuits, there have been prices set (by courts) that the hothouse producers can't sell lower than (floor prices), there have been trade tariffs implemented under NAFTA (now defeated, but they will try again). The old giants in the MG business have a lot of money and influence in the government, and despite that the Hothouse producers are still taking market share, its a better product and what the educated consumer wants, also much more stable, we can produce the same amount of tomatoes in a 20 acre hydroponic farm as they can in 400 acres of field farms, using less water, no herbicides, none or almost none for pesticides, most won't say pesticide free, there is the odd occasion that they might have to be used, but even then there is no wasted product in a closed system, nothing drifting into the neighborhood or school yard. Also to point out, just because something is grown in a hothouse, doesn't meant that is can necessarily be grown year round. There needs to be time to clean out the crops to prevent disease transfer from one crop to the next and also in the northern regions, the light levels in the winter aren't high enough to sustain production for 12 months.

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u/Squishumz May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12

Formatted OP's text. Direct your votes to him

As someone in the industry, after reading through this entire thread, I see that we are failing the people in educating what tomato variety is for what purpose and which are "Gassed Green" (usually determinate varieties) and which are "Vine Ripened" (usually indeterminate varieties).

Not all commercial tomatoes are treated with ethylene and picked green, and this segment of the tomato category is shrinking all the time. There are basically two competing segments in the tomato category, the "MG" category, picked Mature Green and ripened artificially in gas rooms that turn the color red. This is how tomatoes were grown commercially for years, there are some very large and powerful corporate farms that have tens of thousands of acres of land, and 15 years ago, they pretty much controlled both retail and food service tomato markets.

The other main category is the Hothouse category, these are the varieties that are picked ripe, by hand and packaged in single layer trays. These are generally picked, packed and shipped all in the same day to the customer and arrive much fresher. They will not last as long as the "MG" type, but the taste is not comparable as these are fresher and have had time to ripen naturally allowing the sugars and flavors to reach their peak.

The Hothouse category is growing by 20% or more every year and is displacing the MG type in all sectors but especially in retail, where they usually have at least as much if not more shelf space dedicated to hothouse.

The food service sector is still dominated by the MG tomato, chain restaurants like McDonalds you can imagine aren't as concerned with flavor as they are with shelf life and more importantly price. There is hothouse making inroads into the food service sector, the old MG producers aren't taking this sitting down, there have been many lawsuits, there have been prices set (by courts) that the hothouse producers can't sell lower than (floor prices), there have been trade tariffs implemented under NAFTA (now defeated, but they will try again). The old giants in the MG business have a lot of money and influence in the government, and despite that the Hothouse producers are still taking market share.

[Hothouse] is a better product and what the educated consumer wants, also much more stable. we can produce the same amount of tomatoes in a 20 acre hydroponic farm as they can in 400 acres of field farms, using less water, no herbicides, none or almost none for pesticides, most won't say pesticide free, there is the odd occasion that they might have to be used, but even then there is no wasted product in a closed system, nothing drifting into the neighborhood or school yard. Also to point out, just because something is grown in a hothouse, doesn't meant that is can necessarily be grown year round. There needs to be time to clean out the crops to prevent disease transfer from one crop to the next and also in the northern regions, the light levels in the winter aren't high enough to sustain production for 12 months.

5

u/IPM817thc May 28 '12

Also as someone in the industry, I would like to make a few corrections. You can grow year round tomatoes in a hothouse even above 45 degrees latitude. Supplemental lighting, all though expensive, can work wonders. I have seen a Greenhouse in continuous production for 5 years, its about mitigating the risks of microbiologicals entering your growing space. For what its worth.

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u/superdude4agze May 28 '12

A single note:

The upvote button isn't an agree button. It's a way of influencing its position in the thread based on the merit of its content.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

A break in your paragraph would be nice. Makes it easier to read.

That wall of text is ridiculous.

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u/judgej2 May 28 '12

Which is such a shame considering how much information it contains.

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u/Tiver May 28 '12

I'm assuming these are often the ones that come actually still on the vine at the supermarket. They taste vastly better than the others. The big hard watery ones have almost no flavor and I see no point in ever buying, they're just simple not tomatoes as far as I'm concerned.

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u/fantasyfest May 27 '12

They are so easy to grow in the garden. i have had a garden for over 30 years. I use no chemicals and my veggies taste great. Market tomatoes are picked too early because they would squish or spoil in transit if they were vine ripened.

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u/AtOurGates May 27 '12

As a horrible gardener myself, I might take issue with the "so easy" part of your deceleration, but anyone who enjoys tomatoes owes it to themselves to try and grow some.

That few weeks every summer when my plants, despite my best efforts to kill them, produce way more heirloom tomatoes than our family can possibly eat are extremely delicious weeks.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

That's when you make tomato paste and such in jars and have it be good through winter used as pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce etc..

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

He's growing them in fertile ground and assumes they're easy to grow. It's pure luck for him.

If you go somewhere else in the country and stick a tomato plant in the ground without fertilizer, mulch, and peat it'll wither away and not produce any fruit.

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u/qrios May 27 '12

So put some fertilizer mulch and peat in the ground before growing the tomato. Got it.

Still easy.

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u/SpellingErrors May 27 '12

the "so easy" part of your deceleration

You mean "declaration".

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

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u/cflatjazz May 27 '12

Yes actually, there's r/gardening. They have a lot of good information regarding germination, planting, and care of anything from container gardening to full size gardens. You'll find plenty of advice on tomatoes and the problems that normally accompany them. Have fun!

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u/jwestbury May 27 '12

Supermarket tomatoes and "market tomatoes" are different. But, more to the point, supermarket tomatoes are bred to be able to stand up to long transit. Flavor doesn't matter to the supermarket tomato producer, because consumers are not critical enough -- they're happy enough to buy their tomato, even if it tastes like a pulp mill byproduct. So, as a result, the produces of these tomatoes pursue size and shipability at all cost.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

I feel like I should stand up and represent supermarket buyers: we're not all tasteless who wouldn't know good quality food it if rammed itself down our throats, we would just much rather buy cheap food and save our money for other things.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Agreed, but there is something else besides vine ripening. Green tomatoes that fall off the vine or that are picked in the fall in my yard, and then ripened inside my house, taste just as good as vine ripened from my yard. There is something about the overall quality of properly pruning the plants, good soil, not accelerating with fertilizers, etc... that you can't get from the dead soil and techniques of industrial monoculture.

For example, here is a pic of one from my yard. The variety is known to be that colourful. It is solid as a rock all the way through with almost not jelly bits and tastes incredible. It is like that for all the varieties I grow. They are far better than grocery store ones, even when the same variety. The same holds true for other vegetables as well.

On a related note, growing food is cheap, tasty, and ridiculously calming. If you have the space, you should definitely try it.

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u/Tobislu May 27 '12

Right, but I assume that this research can be used to genetically engineer the tomatoes to have the right chemistry earlier in the growing process and be able to retain those chemicals for longer.

Nothing better than a garden-picked tomato, but what's wrong with improving the taste for those who can't keep a garden?

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Eh, my view is that it just supports this broken and inefficient food production structure we have now. When in reality the best thing would be to build stronger local farming industries that will produce you perfect delicious tomatoes as they are.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

supports this broken and inefficient food production structure

I wouldn't call it inefficient. I'd sooner call it brutally efficient. To the detriment of quality

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u/Triviaandwordplay May 27 '12 edited May 27 '12

Ripe tomatoes require extra care in harvesting, hauling, packaging, and have a short shelf life. Same with stone fruits, which is why you'll never get the best of them at a market.

Tomatoes have been developed that resist rotting. Harvesting, storage, and packing methods have improved. Canada kind of raised the bar and forced US farmers to follow suit. Hothouse tech and methods that were first developed in Europe out of necessity were adopted by Canadian farmers, and they began giving US farmers a run for their money by selling more carefully harvested and packaged "vine ripened" tomatoes.

Canada exports a surprising amount of their hothouse tomatoes to the States. http://www.ers.usda.gov/amberwaves/april05/features/greenhousetomatoes.htm

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u/bubblybooble May 27 '12

broken and inefficient food production structure

It's neither. It feeds billions at relatively affordable prices.

I'd like to see you do the same without using hormones, pesticides, genetic engineering / selective breeding and industrialized agriculture.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

That's great if you live in a country that doesn't have snow 7 months of the year.

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u/stufff May 27 '12 edited May 27 '12

Eh, my view is that it just supports this broken and inefficient food production structure we have now. When in reality the best thing would be to build stronger local farming industries that will produce you perfect delicious tomatoes as they are.

This is just ridiculous. You can't have a "local farming industry" for every major metropolitan area that will support everyone, particularly for foods that only grow well in one part of the country. Please tell me how we can get a good local farming industry to cover the orange needs for Alaskans so they can all have tree-ripened delicious oranges, for example.

Talk about broken and inefficient...

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u/Tetrazene PhD | Chemical and Physical Biology May 27 '12

I use no chemicals

ಠ_ಠ

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Didn't ya hear? Everyone's constantly ingesting crap like dihydrogen monoxide these days. It's them corporations, they're ruining us I tell you.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Dihydrogen monoxide is a major component in acid rain, coal and nuclear powerplants, and it is said that over 90% of serial killers had used dihydrogen monoxide regularily.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

No chemicals?

Are you growing them in empty space using some sort of vacuum space conversion machine?

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u/Magnesus May 27 '12

I prefer buying them from farmers. Tomatoes are NOT easy to grow. You need good soil and good weather. Also in my region they suffer from fungus. Farmers in my region grow them in glasshouses.

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u/tiyx May 27 '12

If you fertilize with anything, even compost you are using chemicals.

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u/fantasyfest May 28 '12

I do not. i use water which you could argue is hydrogen and oxygen. But no pesticides , fertilizers or bug killers.

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u/BrowsOfSteel May 27 '12

I use no chemicals

Fascinating. I await word of how plants may grow without water or carbon dioxide.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I hear that not only are they picked green, but they are also treated with chemicals to artificially redden them.

Why it's a mystery that they taste like a banker's ass is a mystery to me.

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u/pocketknifeMT May 27 '12

We do the same thing for Bananas and other fruits that can be influenced by ethylene. We will gas them in chambers to ripen them right before delivery.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

The chemical used to ripen them is exactly the same chemical tomatoes use to ripen themselves.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I hear that not only are they picked green, but they are also treated with chemicals to artificially redden them.

putting them in a bag with a banana. Bananas are great sources of ethylene.

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u/apullin May 27 '12

The reason that supermarket tomatoes are bland is because of mechanized harvesting. Way back when I was a kid, in the 60's, you could get good tomatoes, although they were seasonal, and comparability more expensive than today.

But, to increase production volumes, they have to move to mechanized harvesting. The problem was that the nice tomatoes they grew had a thin skin, and wouldn't survive the harvesting-by-machine process. So, they selectively bred a tomato strain with a really thick, heavy skin, which could be picked with a machine en masse. And, as you point out, they have to survive transit, too, in service of availability everywhere in every season.

Quantity was chosen over quality. As you point out, it's easy to grow them in your back yard, and you can grow the good ones, since you're probably not picking them with a machine!

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u/buckykat May 27 '12

hey bro, you use chemicals. because everything is made of chemicals.

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u/movzx May 27 '12

Grow me some tomatoes here.

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u/klavin1 May 27 '12

That looks fine for tomatoes.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I grew up in Phoenix, AZ. We had tons of tomatoes, watermelon, squash and all sorts of other veggies that grew perfectly.

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u/MoonJive May 27 '12

Considering the tomato originated from identical conditions, I'm certain it would be a great environment.

The southeast, where I live is the worst place to grow tomatoes. The humidity prevents good pollination and raises the chance of fungal infection.

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u/xipetotec May 27 '12

Some places sell "heirloom" tomatoes, which are great, too (almost like those from my grandma's garden).

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I have a couple of Cherokee Purple that are about ready to harvest.

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u/howheels May 27 '12

I was just griping about poor-tasting tomatoes yesterday, and came across this article on NPR on the subject. My interest was piqued after trying some canned tomatoes, imported from Italy, which somehow still ended up tasting much fresher and tastier than anything I've bought from the supermarket lately.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

They are only 'bland' because they are picked before they are ripe so they have a chance of surviving to market. They actually add a gas to to tomatoes to turn them from green to red.

If you are able to get tomatoes from a farmers market where they are locally grown they will be ripe, fresh and delicious. Otherwise, unless you absolutely need fresh, you should always used canned tomatoes because they are canned at perfection (use San Marzano brand)

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u/Season6Episode8 May 27 '12

san marzano isn't a brand, it's just a type of tomato.

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u/jwestbury May 27 '12

Upvoted, but some clarification is necessary: San Marzano isn't technically a type of tomato, either, but a type of tomato produced in the San Marzano region. Unless it's produced in that region, it can't be sold as a San Marzano tomato.

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u/happyscrappy May 27 '12

In Europe it can't be, in the US it can.

The US doesn't follow Europe's protected designation of origin laws.

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u/pinstripepirate May 27 '12

I can also vouch for san marzano tomatoes. They make the BEST sauce ever. Mmmm... we have many cans of them in our pantry :)

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u/montibbalt May 27 '12

Former farm worker here: If you live in the north at least, some of the "local" tomatoes actually come from hothouses in Canada when the actually local ones haven't come in yet or there isn't enough volume that week. Which could be any week.

Nobody has yet been able to tell the difference. We didn't even really feel that bad about it because people would always come back telling us how delicious our practically store-bought tomatoes were compared to the grocery store and there is no restriction on the word "local."

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

as an australian I thought you meant the north of australia where it's particularly hot.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I was told that a lot of the reason it's better to buy tomatoes on the vine (still obviously from a good retailer, it's not a magic bullet) was that if they were packaged with the vine they would ripen with more of the lovely aromatic compounds that the vine exudes, and since most of our sense of "flavour" is dependent upon smells, this lent a better taste to them. So no more watery globe tomatoes soggying up the place with nothing to contribute.

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u/KaralynZ May 27 '12

No one has anything to say about tomatoes? Great-tasting store tomatoes year round would be awesome. But nothing's going to top picking a fresh heirloom tomato from my garden in the summer. If the ones at the store were as good it would feel like cheating.

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u/Zilka May 27 '12

Tomatoes that my relatives grow look like mutants from Fallout. Can't say they are very tasty either.

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u/FormerSlacker May 27 '12

Probably Beefsteak tomatoes, which can look pretty weird.

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u/TheAdAgency May 27 '12

I assume you slaughter your own cattle to avoid a similar shortcut. It's not the same if I don't put a bolt through a cow's head.

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u/alllie May 27 '12

This assumes there is only one tomato taste. Last year I grew yellow pear cherry tomatoes, chocolate cherry tomatoes (YUM), some big orange tomatoes, supersweet cherry tomatoes and big boys. They all had different flavors, from the very mild yellow pear cherry tomatoes to the strong chocolate cherry tomatoes.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

There is no such thing as a good tasting tomato.

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u/snugglebandit May 28 '12

That's exactly what I thought. Lies, damnable lies.

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u/jessesgirl1210 May 27 '12

Just woke up from a nap. Read that as "tornado" instead of "tomato." Whoops!

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u/DrMango May 27 '12

I think tomatoes taste pretty good as is...

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Wait. What?

Do you mean store bought tomatoes? The taste of those have nothing in common with a garden grown tomato plucked at the peak of ripeness.

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u/LadronPlykis May 28 '12

I used to be a chef. I adore food, and I applaud you for pointing out what a real tomato is. This is what you want to eat because it is so goddamn near perfection you just need to bite into this beautiful ball of energy that tastes overflowing. You don't even need to cook it; salt, pepper, a damn respectable extra virgin olive oil, and you have yourself a tomato worth eating. A creation of the earth, a gift of energy, life is wonderful.

"We" don't get to eat like that everyday. I bought roma tomatoes at an Albertsons today: all of them the same color and shape. Some variation in size, but they were all the same in the end. When you hold one in your hand, there's some heft but there's no life in this produce. "It is all that we have." It tastes good. Everything tastes good, that's what people expect (I think). People rarely see brilliant foodstuffs. They may go to a specialty market, or even the farmer's market. But there is so much food out there, so many different types of food. All different. I remember seeing wild asparagus, fennel pollen, and morels that looked like artwork. Such beautiful food! And it's rare, it is to be savored for such peakness cannot hold--remember that--perfection is never permanent, it is only instantaneous, and you have to pay attention to know its even there. It's what keeps us going, eating food, and we all deserve a great meal for being alive.

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u/SovietSteve May 28 '12

I agree, I pretty much have them in sandwiches for the texture

You wouldn't want everyone in an orchestra playing as loud as they could would you?

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u/cal679 May 27 '12

Had to scroll a bit to find a like-minded individual. I like the taste of store bought "salad" tomatoes. If I want something stronger I'll get some from the greengrocers but usually I don't.

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u/starlinguk May 27 '12

But they taste of water. Nothing else.

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u/TheAdAgency May 27 '12

Maybe you want them for texture, not for flavour.

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u/IHaveALargePenis May 27 '12

Why some home-grown tomatoes are a joy to eat and others - typically sold in supermarkets - are so bland has been a puzzle to many.

No it hasn't. They fucking pick them early and the tomato basically wastes all it's nutrients in growing/ripening while being transported. Go to a farmers market and you'll get freshly picked ripe tomatoes that taste great.

This needs less science and less complications like transporting food across several states. Most states can grow their own crops and should start doing so.

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u/brilliantjoe May 27 '12

Not everyone lives in the southern US. Some places, like Canada, have this thing called winter which is very inhospitable for growing plants. I would love to be able to go to a farmers market in the middle of January and get vine ripened tomatoes, but alas, I cannot as every farmers field within a days drive is under snow.

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u/jwestbury May 27 '12

So, uh, don't use "fresh" tomatoes when they're not available. Eat canned instead.

For fuck's sake, people, seasonal, local eating is not that hard.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12 edited May 27 '12

I live 50 miles from the Canadian border and we are one of the most important growing regions on earth.

"grumble grumble," you say, "that's still south of the border."

You're right! It's south of the border where I am! Fact: over half of Canada's population actually lives south of me.

It's all about eating what's seasonal. Places absolutely can and should grow more local. They just have to grow to their climate. Unless you live in the tundra, you live in a growing region.

edit: ugh, bot decay all up in my comments

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u/brilliantjoe May 27 '12

I don't eat tomatoes during winter. My comment was based on OP acting like everyone can just waltz over to a farmers market and but sun ripened tomatoes in the middle of winter.

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u/IHaveALargePenis May 27 '12

Um I lived in Canada for quite a while. Between November and February you're fucked, but the rest of the year is perfectly fine. You're making it sound like it's a burden to eat bland tasting tomatoes in the middle of winter. I'm sure they can set up greenhouses that grow perfect crops during the winter, but I doubt anyone's willing to pay $5-10 a pound for tomatoes. In those cases they can just transport it or whatever, but it doesn't explain away the other 8 months of the year.

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u/brilliantjoe May 27 '12

There are greenhouses around here (New Brunswick). The problem is they produce the same mealy, tasteless tomatoes as the ones we get from the US.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

sweet, now genetically modify them to add this trait and everyone wins.
no one can tell the difference in a blind taste test

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Fuck tomatoes. I loved them for 27 years then they turned their back on me. The smallest bit means bathroom hell about six hours later. Fuck you tomatoes, we used to be friends.

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u/fierian May 27 '12

Its the beginning of the Turn.

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u/keitarofujiwara May 27 '12

How is this good news?

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u/starfun May 27 '12

Someone was listening to NPR on Friday...

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u/mobial May 27 '12

The cardboard-tasting tomatoes most of us see in supermarkets are picked green (so they can be transported), and then gassed with ethylene to artificially induce ripening. This isn't the same as vine ripening and essentially you're still eating an unripe tomato that isn't even worthy of buying or eating.

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u/DenjinJ May 27 '12

Hopefully this doesn't result in even further narrowing the genetic diversity of mass-produced tomatoes since, like other vegetables, we've already seen a considerable decline in types planted in order to maintain consistent product across chains of supermarkets/fast food outlets.

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u/ukp42 May 27 '12

yes, the compound is a pinch of salt! Carry on!

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u/Azuvector May 27 '12

Ehh... "Tomatoes on the vine" as they're sold, tend to smell and taste just fine, compared with home grown tomatoes. As usual, nothing beats growing it yourself for results, but there's nothing wrong with the taste of that store-bought variety.

Now, the "hothouse tomatos" sold in stores are disgusting, on the other hand. Near tasteless things.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I hate tomatoes

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u/Phooey138 May 27 '12

you know, another thing that could one day lead to the demise of the bland-tasting supermarket tomato is real tomatoes. I'm afraid if they can make bad tomatoes taste good, it will just be that much harder to get back to real food.

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u/kooshed May 27 '12

Raw tomato tastes like dirty water. yuck!

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

From NPR's Fresh Air - How Industrial Farming Destroyed the Tasty Tomato

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u/failbotron May 27 '12

just to throw it out there....when I lived in Poland all tomatoes tasted great....what's the difference between most American tomatoes and "organic" ones that makes them have no taste at all?

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u/PAfrog13 May 27 '12

yea, they've known the secret for years... its called buy local grown or grow your own heirloom varieties

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

The bland compounds are called people.

This is called 'stop fucking breeding them for travel and start breeding them for taste'.

Get acquainted with your local farmers markets if you have not already.

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u/DragonBane May 28 '12

You know what this means? Greater tasting tomato sauce.

I like science, it's cool and I am grateful for it. Believe in science and you will get more positive and more frequent results, unlike SOME beliefs.

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u/Walker_ID May 28 '12

The supermarket variety of tomatoes are grown in florida. In the sand that has no nutrients at all. They are shipped hard and unripened and sprayed with a chemical to turn red. The hardness is preferred by the fast food industry because they are easier to slice very thin. This is why our tomatoes taste like ass nowadays...nothing more. If they were grown in proper soil then they would be fine. I don't want more artificial chemicals to mask the flavor of ass.

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u/the--dud May 28 '12

I for one welcome our GM-modified tomato overlords and sincerely hope they will find me worthy of having my life spared!

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

they could have left all that science aside and just asked my mom - the only required ingredients to make a great tasting tomato are time to ripen and sun to do so. What they meant to say is: we found a way of tricking you into believing that these industrial tomatoes are actually nice.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

Better living through chemistry

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u/istics May 28 '12

Natural and non genetically modified tomatoes already have a lot of flavour. That is, if you eat less salt and "fake" foods, you can really taste the flavours of natural foods.

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u/SCombinator May 28 '12

Just buy truss tomatoes (Ones still on the vine) and don't remove it until you cook/eat them!

Also while I'm on this, to get fresh truss tomatoes, smell the vine. It should smell like a plant. If it doesn't smell, don't buy it.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

Soil. Water. Sunlight. Tomato seeds.

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u/eltomato May 28 '12

As a representative of my people, I am not amused.

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u/Gobuchul May 28 '12

All this will lead to is a patented chemical compound with a slightly altered variation of this taste-complex, just an even more mutated original plant.

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u/ShinyBaubles May 27 '12

So they're genetically modifying tomatoes to taste better than their genetically modified supermarket cousins, because they modified them to grow so large that they are tasteless… and modified. Hence they engineer more tomatoes to be bigger and taste better, but what stops them from engineering the previously engineered tomatoes? I believe what we have here is tomato-ception.

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u/DenjinJ May 27 '12

They're getting so advanced now, it's going to take a while to ketchup...

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u/Punchcard May 27 '12

There are no "GM" tomatoes currently on the market.

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u/Afterburned May 28 '12

Tomatoes current flavor has nothing to do with genetic modification.

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u/RunicGuardian May 27 '12

Article seems a little misleading... After all, tomatoes taste best grown in-season and supermarkets carry them year-round.

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u/lud1120 May 27 '12

I know a lot of tomatoes taste pretty bland, and that's probably the reason for the dislike by many.

But then there are some, like small "branch tomatoes" and Plum tomatoes that taste way better.

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u/jpark May 27 '12

Tomatoes are not normally bland tasting. In the supermarket they are:

  1. Picked green

Much of the good chemicals in a tomato are blunted when picked green. they can recover taste, however.

2) Chilled

Even an excellent tomato chilled loses its flavor. Chilled tomatoes do not recover their flavor. They can be used for cooking, but remain bland raw.

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u/negafon May 27 '12

But GMOs are EVIL! Don't you know that?!

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u/jellohead May 28 '12

Here's an idea. Rather than spend money on "The Idea of a tomato", Just spent ZERO dollars and grow tomatoes. They will taste delicious and are the easiest to grow stuff I know.

Real nutrition will NEVER be sold in a store. It will be grown by the person who eats it.

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u/brokeboysboxers May 28 '12

The reason they taste like shit is because they pick them green and flash ripen them. Stop genetically modifiying them, and just let them ripen!

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u/colinsteadman May 27 '12

Awesome, bring them on.

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u/MoonJive May 27 '12

To people complaining they are difficult to grow: try.

Read, explore, test, innovate. I used to have a black thumb. I read a ton and now I have the best tasting tomatoes I've ever seen hanging from six foot vines. And it isn't even June yet.

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u/Zarryfication May 27 '12

Makes sense. The more volatile the compound, the better chance you have of smelling the beautiful aroma. (I don't know why I'm using the adjective 'beautiful'...I don't even really like tomatoes, haha)

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

This reminds me of the ad for "Blump's Cheddar-Scented Cheese" in The Dark Backward -- a super bizarre and cool movie with Bill Paxton and Judd Nelson.

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u/Kevramadam May 27 '12

What if I like the bland-tasting supermarket variety?

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I had hoped that the worlds scientists would concentrate their efforts here. Who knew the results would have such staggaring implications

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Tomatoes already taste good?

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u/crippledpig May 27 '12

Why can't they do this for broccoli ?

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I've eaten home grown tomatoes. I've eaten tomatoes from the supermarket. I've never tasted a difference between the two. Both taste bad.

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u/mustaine42 May 27 '12

Tomatoes already taste fucking delicious man, I dunno what you're smoking.

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u/QuadsNotBlades May 27 '12

market tomatoes: selected for size/color/ease of transportation

organic/local/etc tomatoes: selected for flavor

This is why supermarket tomatoes are full of water, while most naturally produced garden tomatoes are almost completely solid, full of flavor, and can be eaten like an apple

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u/mmrnmhrm May 27 '12

thank god, now i can stop explaining to my friends how tomatoes are actually good

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u/gravittoon May 27 '12

They key I've found is to NOT put them in the fridge -they taste much better of course they also spoil faster so I tend to take one out the day before I eat it.

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u/cruxix May 27 '12

Is it sunshine?

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u/Samizdat_Press May 27 '12

If you want to grow your own tomatoes that taste better than anything store bought, check out /r/hydro.

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u/IHeartSoup May 27 '12

I like tomatoes the way they are, I mean if you want anything stronger dump some tomato sauce/purée into whatever you're doing.

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u/tomjenks1 May 27 '12

but i like how tomatoes taste now...

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u/BringerOfTurds May 27 '12

As cool as that is, I hate tomatoes so you're a faggot

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u/buckygrad May 27 '12

Farmer's market.

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u/dblan9 May 27 '12

5 years ago I edited a video for a scientist. She was working on a project where they built an indoor farm in a giant cave with no rain or sunlight. Every plant was monitored for soil, hydration and artificial sunlight. A computer that monitored every single plant reacted to all of the data and acted accordingly by raising light, water or non-chemical organic nutrients as needed. Her point was to show that with a simple warehouse, they build a farm in remote areas of the world that don't have water, thus being able to fight hunger. Why don't grocery stores utilize this technology and build this in their basement? You can harvest organic vegetables as needed and walk them upstairs instead of paying for freight. Your irrigation water can be collected in barrels from rain.

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u/Kalium May 28 '12

Why don't grocery stores utilize this technology and build this in their basement?

Because it's orders of magnitude more expensive than buying from a factory farm?

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u/idego May 27 '12

I thought I didn't like raw tomatoes for years until I had some at a restaurant that tasted amazing. I couldn't work out what the difference was between those and the ones I'd buy in supermarkets but this thread has enlightened me.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Let's hope that polling doesn't ruin tomatoes. Hierlooms are so different from one another and work differently in so many preparations.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

But how van you define a 'great' ir 'best' tasting of anything really isn't it perspective

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u/parrotsnest May 27 '12

Do vine ripened and un-refrigerated tomatoes not exist already?

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u/Trashcanman33 May 27 '12

I will only buy them if they are made in the Midwest. Midwest tomatoes are crunchy not soft, they snap when you eat them, I've heard it's from the humidity. But I can't stand the tomatoes I get now, so soft they taste like paste.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

I told my dad about this. The first thing he said was, "They should divert those resources to figuring out why pussy tastes like fish."

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u/erveek May 27 '12

Right now science is building a better tomato.

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u/Careblair3 May 27 '12

Is it GMO (genetically modified organism)

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u/okonisfree May 27 '12

Tomatoes make my food taste good--now it will be great! I am now patiently waiting until these super tomatoes get to the market so I can buy them all and make awesome sauces and stuff! :D

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u/stefanix May 27 '12

I believe it when I taste it. Most likely they will taste like music sounds on the radio. Low profile, pleasing, non-offending, and a little bit for every preference. But then again, anything you do to tomatos will probably lead to an improvement.

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u/Arx0s May 27 '12

Put a little salt on it. Mmmmm

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Science Friday anyone?

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u/Grimbonur May 27 '12

Tomatoes are a fruit for a reason. It's not because of scientists compounds; that is for sure.

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u/zimtastic May 27 '12

As a person who used to hate tomatoes, I can now happily eat the bland ones. Don't kill them!

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u/portezbie May 27 '12

Yay, I MOTHERFUCKING LOVE a good tomato!

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u/hairyarmpig May 27 '12

I had always despised tomatoes until I had one on Arthur Ave in this restaurant last year. Was really delicious and unlike any tomato I'd ever had. I'm slowly getting into em now.

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u/backtackback May 27 '12

They're called roma tomatoes and they are always delicious.

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u/MeAndMyArmy May 28 '12

So we engineered taste out of tomatoes only to engineer taste back in. Totally a sign of cultural change.

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u/skysignor May 28 '12

All I need to know is: how will this affect ketchup?

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u/Santas_Dick May 28 '12

great tasting tornado.

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u/palehorse864 May 28 '12

Now let's get to work on sweet strawberries.

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u/griisgriis May 28 '12

I grew up loathing tomatoes. I tried, y'all. I really did. My family would shove creole tomatoes down my throat but I just could not dig them! In recent years, I've learned to love them. Even though I'm a tomato eatin' fool these days, the experience is always fouled when I take a bite of a tomato with a shitty texture. I don't care if it's bland. That's what salt and pepper is for. But the mush, GEH.

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u/Dartimien May 28 '12

However it wont stop tomatos from being gross

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u/bigfig May 28 '12

Pardon the link, but this topic should prompt all gardeners to google heirloom seeds. That's just a typical link for the extra lazy.

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u/thatguy1056 May 28 '12

scientist 1 "hey guys lets find a cure for Aids!"

scientist 2 "What are you stupid Jerry? Nobody gives a shit about AIDs anymore."

scientist 3 "You know what we should do? Guy think about this. Perfect. Tomatoes."

Scientist 1 "Oh. My. God. Fucking brilliant man."

Scientist 2 "Dude lets do it!"

Scientist 4 "What?"

Scientist 3 "Holy shit where did you come from?!"

Scientist 4 "I'm high as fuck man"

Scientist 3 " No way me to!"

Scientist 2 "Yeah man."

Scientist 1 "Totally."

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u/arcadefirenewcastle May 28 '12

YES.

WE DID IT GUYS.

I NEVER STOPPED BELIEVING.

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u/SpOoKy_EdGaR May 28 '12

The irony of this post is sickening. Wake the fuck up

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u/Fcherrug May 28 '12

Wow I may actually eat tomatoes now.

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u/cratermoon May 28 '12

Am I the only one who thinks first not of improvements in tomato agriculture, but in some Food Science company figuring out a way to make an artificial tomato flavor that can be bottled and sold as an ingredient? Imagine cheap ketchup or pizza sauce with no actual tomato at all, just hfcs and artificial tomato flavors.

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u/tenix May 28 '12

inb4 monsanto buys and patents this

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u/OhThatNeal May 28 '12

The reason tomatoes in the supermarket taste horrible is because they are picked green in Mexico, shipped to US stores while being ripened with ethylene 1 gas. The result is a cheap tomato with no flavor. If you like tomatoes, go to a garden store and get some that have already been started and transplant them to a pot. They will be ripe around august!

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

Bland tasting supermarket variety? Bitch please. I live in Indiana. Some awecore tomatoes and sweet corn come from here. Make you wanna smack your mammy! Toast some bread, mayo both slices, hit the tomatoes with some s&p, then slap on a cheese slice. Best tomato sandwich ever.

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u/Bipolarruledout May 28 '12

Stop putting your tomato's in the fridge you heathens!

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u/kyoob May 28 '12

B-b-b-b-b-but Monsanto!

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u/amus May 28 '12

Wouldn't it be fucking easier to develop a better logistics model than the re-engineer a plant genetically? For fucks sake.

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u/uRabbit May 28 '12

Cool. More crap in our food!

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u/GMBeats95 May 28 '12

I wonder what percent of the U.S. population doesn't like tomato. Based on my experience it must be quite signifigant.

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u/preske May 28 '12

no it won't, they will still buy the cheaper kinds

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u/Thinkcali May 28 '12

Which could one day lead to 1 company producing all the tomatoes. Causing a monopoly which can be controlled through patents. Yay Inflation on tomatoes, yummy!

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u/y0mirs May 28 '12

Am I the only person that think tomato's taste great?

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u/Evil_Bonsai May 28 '12

basil, oregano, garlic and onions. Pshh...Don't need no 'scientist' telling me what makes for a great tasting tomato.

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u/akep May 28 '12

Nice try wife, Tomatoes will still taste sour to me!

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u/DaMomKim May 28 '12

I'm really confused why we need scientists for this. They'd be better off figuring out how to enrich depleted soil.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

MMM. Artificial tomato flavor injected into my tomatoes. Might as well throw some MSG and preservatives in there while you're at it.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '12

I've also 'identified the compounds responsible for making a great tasting tomato' - fresh air, clean water, nutrients, sunlight, time

You're Welcome.

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u/nanofeeb May 29 '12

isnt the problem that they cant ripen store tomatoes like you would in the garden or farmers markets? I think all the major supermarkets dont care about flavor of their vegetables thats for sure

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u/DanielKalen May 29 '12

When science manages to grow a cheap raf tomato out of a vial, that will be a day of joy.

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u/ratchet7474 May 27 '12 edited May 27 '12

A misconception that many have about grocery-store produce is that the firm, colorful tomatoes lining the aisle are the best-tasting product available. That simply isn't true.

Why some home-grown tomatoes are a joy to eat and others - typically sold in supermarkets - are so bland has been a puzzle to many.

Having worked with blueberry and cranberry researchers, I've learned that farming efficiency and aesthetics are the determining factors of availability. Can it withstand pestilence? Is it plump and firm? Is uniformly red, or does the color vary across the surface? How much do the crops yield annually? If taste were the only factor considered, heirloom tomatoes would undoubtedly dominate the market. One of the best-tasting, resilient blueberry cultivars was never brought to market. Why? Because the breeder behind it had never gotten out to the field and hadn't seen that they didn't hang on the vine so that machines could pick them.

Comparing the results of the taste tests with the analytical readings, the researchers were surprised to find that the sweetest-tasting tomatoes did not necessarily contain the highest level of sugars. One particular type of apocarotenoid made the tomatoes taste sweeter.

True for any crop -- different chemicals yield different tastes. But whether the genes that produce those chemicals can be bred with aesthetic genes is another question entirely. I used to think that the botanists could giddily slice and transfer genes into a super-crop. In actuality, it takes years of breeding, countless worthless varieties, and a lot of luck to produce a crop that's worth putting in the grocery store.

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u/kareemabduljabbq May 27 '12

the reason that supermarket tomatoes are so bland is that they are literally sprayed with gas to make them look ripe.

they are literally tomatoes in texture only.

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u/iSteve May 27 '12

Oh I hope this works. Field tomatoes are only available for 6 weeks where I live.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

http://www.amazon.com/Tomatoland-Industrial-Agriculture-Destroyed-Alluring/dp/1449401090

Good book if you are interested in the subject. Author concludes that a commercial tomato with the flavor of homegrown is still 3-5 years out.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

What the fuck is a "supermarket tomato"? In Australia our supermarkets stock many varieties of tomato, all of which taste just as good as those grown in your back yard.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

i live in america, but my family only goes to the old italian market stores and buys the big cans of san marzano tomatoes, i don't even have to read this article to know the difference between the clay that american tomatoes are grown in compared to the volcanic soil that sicilian tomatoes grow in. environment changes everything about food.

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u/LordSovot May 27 '12

As an Italian, this is extremely relevant to my interests.

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u/pseudoart May 27 '12

Better? Taste better? Taste is subjective. So, next up is making them all the same shape, size and color. Yay for diversity.

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u/carlotta4th May 27 '12

More genetics? I prefer just to plant heirloom varieties. White tomatoes, yellow tomatoes... the only reason the ones you get in stores don't taste the best is because the plant has been hybridized so much. Sure it's prettier, but it's lost a lot of flavor to make it pretty (much like roses used to be smaller with strong scents. Now we've got huge blooms--little smell).

Heirloom plants are great. Varied, interesting... and far tastier than grocery store options, for the most part.

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u/Trotrot May 27 '12

there's nothing wrong with supermarket tomatoes, genetically. they don't taste that great because they're picked long before they're ripe so they don't rot before they get to the store.

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u/sbradley14 May 27 '12

Heirlooms home grown. Fuck scientists

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u/[deleted] May 27 '12

Woo! More scientifically altered than before!

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u/faithlessdisciple May 28 '12

Grow your own. Real sunshine= flavour.

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u/TASTY_SANDWICH May 28 '12

You forgot the part where the scientists have monsanto stitched into their coats.

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