Taste differences between tangerine and beta cartonene

Do tomatoes with the different orange genes taste particularly different from each other?

[KarenO]

Sure. Even two tangerine tomatoes can taste very different from each other.
I would not say there is a specific flavour profile for either type of orange tomato really although the beta carotene ones sometimes actually can taste a tiny bit “carroty” to me.
KarenO

[bower]

Agreed, there are so many other things that contribute to individual flavor profiles. I had a couple of mild tangerine types that left me the impression the "pro-lycopene" itself is mild and subtle but very morish. Carotene of course has a known flavor - not quite carroty to me in the Beta tomatoes, but certainly in that direction.



Well.... you'll just have to try some and see what you think.

Yes. Two tangerine orange tomatoes can taste different from each other. But can a beta carotene tomato taste like a tangerine tomato?

I've never found a red tomato that tastes like an orange tomato. But, I've found two or more reds here and there that taste the same, and several oranges that taste the same.

I've found a number of orange tomato flavors, but most of them are unique to a certain variety, while there's one flavor I know that several orange tomatoes share (to my tongue).

Carrots, eh? I can see that.

Taste is pretty subjective, though. So, maybe orange tomatoes taste like red ones to some people. Maybe every tomato variety that ever existed tastes unique to some people.

I'm just looking for people's opinions/views.

I've never tasted beta carotene tomatoes to my knowledge. I have smelled the plants, however! Caro Rich smells a lot like Tangerine (the tomato breed—not the color gene). They both smell astonishingly good. I think Tangerine has the tangerine gene, but I'm not certain. Caro Rich has the beta carotene gene.

@bower I've been meaning to try some. I grew Caro Rich once, but it didn't produce in its soil. I grew Jaune Flammee', but it turned out to be red. I could try again, though.

[artis]

Sungold is probably the most popular beta carotene tomato and almost everybody would agree that it has a very strong and excellent taste but it could be because it is a cherry.



Kellogg's Breakfast, KBX, and Aunt Gertie's Gold (AGG) are popular tangerine tomatoes. I have grown about a dozen tangerine beefsteak tomatoes and to me they tasted fine but relatively mild except for AGG, which is more acidic than others.

SunGold F1 has the beta Carotene gene? Awesome. I didn't know that! That probably means Big Sungold Select, and many other varieties, are likely to have it, too, then.

[bower]

Shule, the tangerine tomatoes have a 'tell' - the flower color is a very intense orange. It is different from other tomato flowers. Beta tomatoes have ordinary looking flowers.


Jaune Flamme is another Beta, so are Zolotoe Serdtse and Orange-1 (aka Belarus Orange).
Datlo is a tangerine cherry, very tasty.
tt tangerine can be expressed in a yellow background as well as red, while Beta is only expressed in a red background. So there are some "yellow-tangerine" types out there as well.



I have to say I really like yellow and white carrots, but at the end of the day they all have a "rooty" taste whether beta carotene is present or not. Same with tomatoes, they always taste fruity not rooty. So it can be hard to make comparisons in taste, between different types of food, even if they have the same compounds present.

Take lycopene for example. Watermelon is also full of it. I've only tasted one tomato that reminded me of watermelon, that is Anna Russian. So the classic taste we think of as "tomato" is not entirely lycopene by a long shot.

[clkeiper]

I have never noticed there was a difference in the color of the flowers. I will have to check that next Summer.

Thanks for the comments, everyone! This is very helpful. I'll have to pay attention to the flowers, too.

[frogsleap farm]

Harry Klee's group at the U of Florida have done an excellent job identifying aromatic flavor compounds that significantly affect positive ratings in tomato tasting panels. Among the most important of these compounds are apo-carotenoids - which are break down products of specific carotenoid pigments. Tangerine (cis-lycopene). lycopene (trans-lycopene) and beta-carotene all yield different and specific apo-cartenoid flavor compounds. The beta-carotenoid derived aromatic had the highest correlation to flavor preference in the tasting panel, as high as brix (sweetness). Although I have a limited number of beta-carotene breeding lines, and all are derived from Sungold crosses, I find them to generally have more of a tropical fruity flavor than either lycopene or tangerine types.

Cool. Thanks!

Does anyone know if SunOrange F1 has the beta carotene gene, too?

[bower]

Just wanted to mention, the Galapagos orange wild fruited tomato relative you're growing also has the Beta gene. Afaik this is the origin of Beta orange tomatoes, using the gene introgressed from its wild relative.

@bower Thanks for the information. Okay. I think I'm possibly beginning to understand what flavors the beta carotene gene is responsible for (the ones I know are, anyway). Galapagos Island does taste quite a bit different than other beta carotene tomatoes I've tried, but I think there's a taste in common, too. It's not a sweet taste, though! It actually tastes more like a true yellow tomato to me, though. It gets yellow first, and then turns golden when extra ripe (but not outright orange); it's the same color profile as my Sweet Orange Cherry tomato (and Yellow Riesentraube). Big Sungold Select gets quite orange, however. Maybe those have the gene, too.

[bower]

There are some modifier genes that also affect the amount of Beta carotene. If you look in the Crosstalk forum for threads by Crmauch you will find some posts about it.