AGRICULTURE NEWS - Tomatoes contain lycopene, a potent antioxidant that lowers the risk of chronic diseases. It is associated with the red colour of tomatoes, watermelons, strawberries and other fruit. Lycopene is not destroyed by cooking; on the contrary, cooking enhances its bio-availability.
READ Do your homework before starting tomato production
Unfortunately, most commercial tomatoes in South Africa carry the mutant rin gene.
This more than doubles the shelf life, but cuts the lycopene content by more than half and reduces the eating quality for the consumer. Many markets overseas refuse to purchase these varieties because of their poor taste.
This is where the advantage of home-grown tomatoes comes in. Because home gardeners don’t send their fruit to the market, they needn’t worry about firmness and extra-long shelf life.
Instead, they simply pick the tomatoes when they are ripe, and get the full benefit of their nutrition and flavour.
Read the full article on the Caxton publication, Farmer's Weekly.
