Stressed Tomatoes Are Tastier, More Nutritious

It is no news that organic tomatoes taste better than run-off-the-mill ones, not to mention the fact that they are more nutritious. According to a new research, this is because of the stress they are exposed to during their growth period.

The specialists who took the time to investigate this issue explain that, whereas regular tomatoes get help from pesticides and chemical fertilizers, organic ones are pretty much left to fend for themselves.

Because of this, they have no choice except grow to be tougher than the rest. In case anyone was wondering, this environmental stress-induced toughness basically refers to the tomatoes' beginning to produce more nutritious molecules.

According to Mongabay, an organic tomato more often than not contains 55% more vitamin C, 57% more soluble solids and 139% more natural phenols.

Granted, such tomatoes also end up being a bit smaller than the ones that get help from pesticides and chemical fertilizers, but this not change the fact that the people choosing to eat them instead of the latter stand to ingest significantly more nutrients and delight their taste buds.

“Indeed, several studies have demonstrated that fruits and vegetables from organic farming generally are endowed with enhanced nutritional properties,” reads the paper published by these researchers in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

“Until recently, the focus has been mainly on yield rather than on gustative [i.e. taste] and micronutritional quality of fresh plant products. This might be all right for staple food, but, as far as fruits and vegetables are concerned, it may be argued that gustative and micronutritional quality matter more than energy supply,” the specialists go on to argue.

Following their researching this link between environmental stress and the enhanced taste and nutritional value of organically grown tomatoes, scientists urge that farmers agree not to completely eliminate all the stress that these fruits get to experience during their growth period.