Food & life · 2012
Do consumers like tomatoes less after two days in the refrigerator than at room temperature?
Only slightly for 'Arvento'; no clear difference was found for 'Tiësto'. In experiments with ordinary consumers, tomatoes were stored for two days at either 7°C or 21°C. Consumers slightly preferred room-stored 'Arvento', but the lack of a clear preference for 'Tiësto' does not prove that the storage conditions had identical effects.
Details
Earlier research using trained tasting panels had supported advice to avoid refrigerating tomatoes to preserve their taste. These researchers tested whether ordinary consumers would also prefer tomatoes stored at room temperature.
They conducted experiments in which consumer panels evaluated 'Arvento' and 'Tiësto' tomatoes stored for two days at 7°C or 21°C. For 'Arvento', average liking scores were 6.443 after room-temperature storage and 5.849 after refrigeration. The analysis supported a difference, but its size was small. For 'Tiësto', the analysis did not establish a difference in liking.
The findings do not support a consistent, substantial loss of consumer liking from refrigeration under these conditions. They apply to the tested varieties and storage period, not necessarily to other tomatoes or longer storage.
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