Why do fruits taste good

As a result, a lot of fruits have been genetically engineered to achieve these desirable characteristics. Genetically enhanced fruits are also more resistant to pests, bacteria, fungi and viruses. And they are more durable allowing them to withstand travels over long distances and have a longer shelf life.

You can easily see the many advantages of enhancing these fruits. However, there is the unintentional effect of reduced flavor. This has been scientifically proven. A study carried out by a group of scientists to investigate the decline in the flavor of tomatoes was reported by the Guardian some time ago. During the study, it was discovered that about 13 volatile compounds were responsible for the flavor of tomatoes.

And these volatile compounds were found to be absent in modern varieties of tomatoes. So there you have it. The ozone layer is getting depleted, temperatures are rising, polar ice caps are melting and so on. But we bet you never thought climate change has an effect on the fruits you eat. You must have noticed a decline in the sweetness of apples including those that are grown in their biologically evolved locations.

Climate change has even made this universally-beloved fruit more prone to pests and diseases leading to a reduction in quality and flavor. Thanks to a team of researchers, we are better able to understand the effect of climate change on apples.

The team worked on apples grown in Japan and were able to establish that increase in temperature has a direct effect on the decline in the quality of the fruit. But this is not actually true. There are still delicious, healthy and flavorful fruits out there.

It's just that most of the time, we choose not to. The main difference between the food here and there, they all said, is culture and preferences. Harry Klee , a horticulture professor at the University of Florida, spent years developing a nutrient-dense tomato that also happens to taste great.

The fact that it's delicious doesn't count for much. That's why you see gigantic strawberries and fist-size apples on the store shelves. Since Americans like their produce big, and big fruit is more efficient to grow, growers do everything they can to supersize their fruit, even at the expense of flavor. They do this through breeding, Klee added.

Or, as author and flavor expert Mark Schatzker writes at Slate , "The entire supply chain seems caught in an endlessly descending cycle of blandness, like some demented Escher illustration. This greatly distresses Klee. Cooking with seasonal produce is often regarded by the best chefs as the key to more flavorful meals.

But, whether for financial reasons or time constraints, Americans seem to want their produce available at all months of the year. That inevitably has an impact on taste.

Buying out of season means the produce has to be picked long before it has ripened and then shipped very long distances from the southern United States, or Mexico, or Central America.

That journey can batter the flavor out of fresh fruits and vegetables. Consider broccoli. Its stem holds a lot of sweetness — something you can taste if you eat it shortly after picking. This "post-harvest handling" — the way produce is treated after it's plucked — can greatly affect how it tastes on your dinner table later. Klee pointed out that Europe also has out-of-season produce in its stores. The difference is that locals will generally demand and pay for better quality.

The process is meticulous — he learned it in northern Italy as a child. When I visited him to watch his annual ritual for a profile in Maclean's magazine he told me that the slaughtered pigs can only become prosciutto and salami during the luna calante, the waning moon that follows the full moon.

This practice traces back to old farmer's lore. That may not be perfectly scientific, but it's an example of the kind of obsessive focus on food quality that Europeans are known for. And that obsession is reflected in Europe's laws in a way that it's not in the United States. Gavin Lavi Sacks, a wine researcher at Cornell, contrasted the experience of wine growers in the United States and France: "In the US, the primary concerns [of regulators] are safety and tax revenue as opposed to quality.

In the EU, you have sub-regions — Bordeaux, Burgundy — and they each have rules about actual production practices. Several studies have found that eating more fruits and vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease 12 , 13 , Because fruits and vegetables are low in calories but high in fiber, they could even help keep your weight under control. One study followed , people over a year span.

It showed that when people increased their intake of fruits and non-starchy vegetables, their weight tended to decrease Increasing your fiber intake through fruits and vegetables may even reduce your risk of cancer.

Multiple studies have found that higher fruit and vegetable consumption is linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer 17 , Finally, fruit and vegetable intake may benefit your blood sugar. The fiber from these foods slows the absorption of sugar, which can keep blood sugar levels steady.

One study showed that an increase in fruit and vegetable intake can actually lead to a reduction in the development of diabetes Note that these results applied to fruits and vegetables, but not fruit juice. Fruit juice provides a concentrated dose of the vitamins, minerals and sugars found in fruit, but without the fiber and the health benefits that come with it. Eating enough fruits and vegetables can decrease your risk of heart disease and cancer while controlling your weight and blood sugar.

However, they both come with an impressive set of nutrients and health benefits, from decreasing your risk of chronic disease to slimming your waistline. Experts encourage people to start out by adding 1 or 2 fruits or vegetables to their daily diet. They note that some foods are healthier than others. Vegetables are nutritious and healthy. This article determines how many servings of vegetables you should eat per day to get the maximum benefits. Frozen vegetables are often considered an affordable and convenient alternative to fresh vegetables.

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