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Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable?
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I frequently hear the word ´lycopene´ related to tomatoes, but what exactly is lycopene?
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Where are lycopenes?
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Can tomatoes help prevent cancer and other diseases?
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What gives tomatoes its specific taste?
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What are the nutrients found in tomatoes?
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How should I store my tomatoes, in the fridge or outside the fridge?
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Is it safe to freeze tomatoes?
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Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable?
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Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit, because a fruit is the edible part of the plant that contains the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible root, stems or leaves of the plant. However, it is generally used as a vegetable.
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I frequently hear the word ´lycopene´ related to tomatoes, but what exactly is lycopene?
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Lycopene is a carotenoid, a pigment found in tomatoes and other red fruits, like guava, rosehip, watermelon and ping grape fruit, and its responsible for their red colour. Lycopene is the most common carotenoid found in the human body, and the most powerful antioxidant carotenoid. According to Lycopene.org, antioxidants can neutralize free radicals, which may interfere with normal growth and development of the body’s cells. Several studies relate frequent intake of lycopene with different health benefits, like reduced prostate cancer risk, although none of them is still conclusive. Lycopene in tomatoes is better absorved by the human body if it is processed into juice, sauce or paste, for example, because it is insoluble in water and tightly bound to vegetable fiber. Lycopene is also used as a food coloring.
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Where are lycopenes?
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Can tomatoes help prevent cancer and other diseases?
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Cancer risk is determined by many factors, and diet is an important one. Tomatoes -mainly cooked tomatoes- are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant carotenoid. According to the National Cancer Institute, several studies link antioxidants and the risk of suffering many types of cancer, but none of them are conclusive. It is still too early to conclude that any single food can prevent cancer.
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What gives tomatoes its specific taste?
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Many factors contribute to tomato taste, but the most important ones are the sugar and acid concentration in the fruit, in addition to natural aromas. For example: high sugars and high acids are needed for best flavour. Each variety has a different taste, but even two tomatoes from the same type can have a slightly different taste, also depending on the climate or the soil type where tomatoes are grown.
Aside from all the above, there is a taste contributing factor that consumers can easily control at home: avoid cold temperature. Refrigeration kills the flavour of tomatoes faster than any other factor.
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What are the nutrients found in tomatoes?
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The amount of nutrients found in tomatoes can vary from one type to another. According to Nutrition Data, red ripe raw tomatoes is a low in saturated fat and sodium food, and it is also very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and manganese.
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How should I store my tomatoes, in the fridge or outside the fridge?
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Most fresh tomatoes are sold firm but not fully ripe, because ripe tomatoes are easily bruised. Keeping tomatoes at room temperature, between 12.7°C and 21°C, is the best way to let the fruit ripen in full flavour and aroma. Never refrigerate tomatoes that are not fully red or ripe, because cold temperature will kill flavour and aroma. Once fully ripe, you can refrigerate tomatoes, but only for a few days. To store them outside the fridge, put them inside a sealed paper bag. If you also put an ethylene producing fruit, such as bananas, you would speed the ripening process.
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Is it safe to freeze tomatoes?
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It is safe to freeze tomatoes, however, once you defrost them is better not to use them as fresh tomatoes, since freezing makes their texture to become mushy.
It is important that you wash tomatoes in clean water and dry with a clean cloth before freezing them.
Tomatoes can be frozen whole, sliced, chopped or puréed, and either raw or cooked, or prepared in any recipe that you like.
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