The Essence of Tomato
The bland, watery supermarket spheres now synonymous with a modern conception of tomato represent just a tiny fraction of this vegetable's possibilities. Researchers looking to identify the essence of tomato taste performed a molecular analysis of dozens of varieties (listed at right), measuring intensity (blue to red) of taste-associated compounds (listed at bottom). The result is a tapestry of tomato potential.
Citation: “The Chemical Interactions Underlying Tomato Flavor Preferences.” By Denise Tieman, Peter Bliss, Lauren M. McIntyre, Adilia Blandon-Ubeda, Dawn Bies, Asli Z. Odabasi, Gustavo R. Rodrıguez, Esther van der Knaap, Mark G. Taylor, Charles Goulet, Melissa H. Mageroy, Derek J. Snyder, Thomas Colquhoun, Howard Moskowitz, David G. Clark, Charles Sims, Linda Bartoshuk, and Harry J. Klee. Current Biology, Vol. 22 No. 11, 25 May 2012.
Image: Tieman et al./Current Biology (Larger image)