There is much to unlearn about food when emerging facts change our preconceived notions. For example, bananas and tomatoes are berries, but strawberries are not because, by botanical definition, berries have seeds that grow inside. Some may even be surprised that oranges are often not orange at all and typically remain green when grown in a tropical climate. Now we must also adjust the misconception that ripe tomatoes are always red.
Tomatoes can be shades of blue depending on the variety. To be more specific, the tomato's skin color can be a dark blue hue that is almost black or purple when ripe, while the flesh inside is typically red. Blue tomatoes get their unique color from the high levels of anthocyanin in their skin, a group of deep red, purple, and blue pigments also found in eggplant and cherries.
Anthocyanins have health benefits and are known for their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The United States National Center for Biotechnology Information states that anthocyanins extracted from edible plants are potential pharmaceutical ingredients, which explains the interest from scientists and horticulturists to see if they can amplify them in a new variety of fruit or vegetable.
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