Why so many fruits/veg fall into these color categories?
Disclaimer: This question is not about cooking per se, rather about food itself; please let me know if this is not appropriate for this SE.
I have noticed that there are many fruits and vegetables which seem unrelated that come in two color varieties, red and yellowish-green. What I mean by this is that we have red onions and yellowish-green onions, we have red apples and yellowish-green apples. I will put a list of all such foods I have thought of; but I can't seem to find a reason why? Does this have to do with the chemistry, or the environmental conditions that cause different varieties to have different colors. I've tried looking online for this, but I cannot seem to formalize my question in a succinct and clear way to obtain results.
Here is a list of fruits and vegetables which have red varieties and yellowish-green varietes.
- Apples
- Onions
- Raddish
- Bell Peppers
- Potatoes
- Figs
- Dragon Fruit (Yellow Dragon fruit are called Kirin)
- Peaches (Green Peaches are common in the middle-east)
- There are a few more which I cannot remember; I will add in edits.
I am of course open to the possibility that this is all random correlation and for every instance I've found here there are more instances in some other arbitrary pattern. But there seems to be something happening here.
Best Answer
There are 3 primary colors, that being red, yellow, and blue. Most foods are red and yellowish due to the fact that blue is very rare in nature. Here is an article you can check out Why is the colour blue so rare in nature?
Now, you might ask, why is green so common then if green is a combination of blue and yellow, and blue is so rare? The pigmentation for green is usually chlorophyll, which is an important pigment that plants use in photosynthesis. That's why it is so common in leaves and other parts of the plant as well.
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Quick Answer about "Why so many fruits/veg fall into these color categories?"
Each color in fruits and vegetables is created by specific phytonutrients, which are natural compounds that help protect plants from germs, bugs, the sun, and other threats. And each color indicates an abundance of specific nutrients. Phytonutrients aren't essential to keep you alive (unlike vitamins and minerals).Why are fruits and vegetables so many different colors?
Fruits and vegetables have their distinctive color due to presence of various phytochemicals. Various nutrients are present in different quantities in various foods. You should ensure that your daily diet compromises of as many colored fruits and vegetables to get a combination of the health effects.What do you think is the reason why fruits vegetables change color?
When fresh fruits and vegetables are peeled or cut open, the enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (also called tyrosinase) contained in the cells is exposed to and reacts with the oxygen in the air. The reaction that occurs, which is called oxidation, is what turns the fruits and vegetables brown.Why are there a variety of different colors for the same kind of vegetables?
Colorful fruits and vegetables can paint a beautiful picture of health because they contain phytonutrients, compounds that give plants their rich colors as well as their distinctive tastes and aromas. Phytonutrients also strengthen a plant's immune system.Why are fruits are colorful?
The colors of fruits and flowers are traditionally viewed as an adaptation to increase the detectability of plant organs to animal vectors. The detectability of visual signals increases with increasing contrasts between target and background.Foods That Originally Looked Totally Different
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