Why do canned tomatoes have a deeper red color than fresh?

sleepydvdr

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I have always wondered about this. I made pasta tonight with fresh tomatoes. It tasted incredibly good, but it didn't look as good as when I make pasta with canned tomatoes. Do they add color to canned tomatoes? Is it something about the processing of them? I couldn't find any info on this on Google.
 
Companies typically purchase overripe tomatoes for canned goods because they can get them cheap and the tomatoes aren't good for anything else at that point. Additionally, they are processed with heat and cooking deepens the color of tomatoes.
 
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Although I could be, and probably am, wrong, I'd guess that they use additives and colorings to make them look how we expect "fresh" tomatoes to look in order to sell more.
 
Companies typically purchase overripe tomatoes for canned goods because they can get them cheap and the tomatoes aren't good for anything else at that point. Additionally, they are processed with heat and cooking deepens the color of tomatoes.


:yes: firstly they're plum tomatoes... which are pretty red in the first place.... and they're relatively over-ripe too (makes them redder)... they're cooked and canned and they add citric acid to stop them spoiling- all contribute to the redness.

interesting thing that you'd prefer not to know:

crappy quality tomatoes= whole canned
really crappy/spoiled= chopped/diced canned
too crappy for that= crushed
extreme crappiness= passata/sauced
yeah= paste.

... and they also contain maggots and fly eggs. but probably under 10 per can. :p

http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074642.htm

and a whole bunch of mould.... blargh. :(

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceCom...danceDocuments/Sanitation/ucm056174.htm#CHPTR

but anywhooooo. :D
 
Yeah, if you have a mold allergy you are advised to stay away from canned tomatoes due to the high mold content. I don't really mind that the practice actually, since I hate seeing crops go to waste and subscribe to the 'everything can be used for something' philosophy of food. As long as it's safe to eat (and they offer a good price for the product) I'm good to go.
 
I hate reading stuff like this. I love my canned tomatoes! :( I'm going to have to try and go along the same route as Digger...but maggots? fly eggs? mold? Just ugh. :(
 
Well in reality we eat lots of ground up maggots and such in our food everyday so it's not anything to be concerned about. Food grows outside, that's just the way it goes. All flour has ground up bug parts in it and sometimes tiny eggs that will hatch if given enough time, which is why I always keep mine in the freezer. I know a few people who actually like finding bugs in fresh produce because it means that it hasn't been over-sprayed with pesticides.
 
Yummy. But there has be a reason why canned tomatoes are usually so cheap compared to fresh ones....:rolleyes:
 
Well in reality we eat lots of ground up maggots and such in our food everyday so it's not anything to be concerned about.

:yes: I know...but I prefer being in the dark when it comes to things like this, lol. :)
 
It is because they are ripe and cooking them gives them a deeper colour.
This is what I thought! They can let them ripen on the vine instead of picking them green and gassing them into those pink tomato-like items often found in the grocery store produce section.

I like my canned tomatoes. :(
 
This is what I thought! They can let them ripen on the vine instead of picking them green and gassing them into those pink tomato-like items often found in the grocery store produce section.

I like my canned tomatoes. :(

You should as they are full of lycopene. See the following article :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4777607.stm
 
Well in reality we eat lots of ground up maggots and such in our food everyday so it's not anything to be concerned about. Food grows outside, that's just the way it goes. All flour has ground up bug parts in it and sometimes tiny eggs that will hatch if given enough time, which is why I always keep mine in the freezer. I know a few people who actually like finding bugs in fresh produce because it means that it hasn't been over-sprayed with pesticides.

Once I found some caterpillars in a batch of corn we bought from an Amish stand. It was simultaneously reassuring and horrifying.
 
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Yeah, if you have a mold allergy you are advised to stay away from canned tomatoes due to the high mold content. I don't really mind that the practice actually, since I hate seeing crops go to waste and subscribe to the 'everything can be used for something' philosophy of food. As long as it's safe to eat (and they offer a good price for the product) I'm good to go.


i have mould allergies. nobody ever tells me this stuff. stupid NHS. luckily i don't eat a lot of canned tomatoes (cos i worked out all by myself that they make me ill).
 
Another reason to avoid canned tomatoes: BPA in the can lining :/

Once I found some caterpillars in a batch of corn we bought from an Amish stand. It was simultaneously reassuring and horrifying.

That's pretty common for organic corn, actually. We get an organic box of produce from a buying club and they warn us about them. I remember when my mom used to keep a garden ans the corn always had a big green worm in the end. :)