July's Tomato Haul (Photo credit: statelyenglishmanor)
Breeders seeking rapid ripening, uniform appearance sacrificed flavor
(Sacramento Bee) Perfectly ripened, evenly red tomatoes, stacked on top of each other in the large bins of supermarkets, have been bred to look that way.
Ironically, as a direct consequence, they are less sweet and flavorful.
Researchers at University of California Davis and Cornell University have discovered that the genetic change that causes a tomato to ripen uniformly also makes it produce less sugar. The research, published in the current issue of the journal Science, has the potential to accelerate current tomato breeding, and perhaps improve the quality of future commercial tomatoes.
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