Why do tomatoes turn red?
Autumn in the temperate zones is a time when the plant world competes with the rainbow. The papery leaves and the fat fruit change from green to riotous colors. Peaches turn yellow and tomatoes turn red when they are ripe, and the reason for these changes is a eomplicated story of chemistry. A tomato begins life as a shy little flower among the rough, fingery foliage of a tomato plant. The flower is replaced by little green fruit that grows bigger with moisture and sunshine. When it reaches its full size, the growing stops and the shiny skin begins to show tinges of yellow. The yellow deepens with patches of orange and finally changes to tomato red. The lush fruit is now ripe and ready to Eat. The process of this change is related to the vivid coloring of the autumn woods. It is a chemical affair caused by the pigments that Exist in living plant cells. The most common pigment chemicals of the plant world are chlorophylls that reveal themselves in an assortment of greens, b1ue greens an
