You may have been told that putting tomatoes in your fridge will ruin them.
It turns out that, that's kind of true.
Scientists have shown that reducing a tomato's temperature to below 20°C alters its gene expression, which in turn reduces its yummy tomato smell.
So putting tomatoes in the fridge actually does make a lot of their ripe, juicy flavor disappear!
You might think a food's flavor is determined by the specific mix of chemicals that lands on your tongue.
And it is… partially.
But by definition, flavor is the overall impression you get from consuming a food or beverage, an impression which results from both taste and smells.
There are only a handful of distinctive tastes that your taste buds can differentiate: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
Scents, on the other hand, are practically limitless.
Some research suggests the average person's nose can distinguish between one trillion different odors, and all that variety could explain why scent is the largest determinant to flavor.
