Bitter-sweet
■ Hi How It Works team, A few days ago I had half a very sharp white grapefruit. I put the other half which had not been prepared in a clear box, with the wet side down, in the fridge. Today I found the box with the grapefruit in it and it looked exactly the same but it was much sweeter. Is this a one-time occurrence or is there an answer as to why it was so much sweeter? Martin (12) P.S. Loving the magazines, especially the fascinating cuts through everyday objects to see what’s inside. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for your interesting question. Usually grapefruit only change in sweetness when they are growing and ripening on the tree. Once picked they maintain their bitterness. However, seeing as you ate the first half of the grapefruit a few days before the second and left the grapefruit with its protective peel removed, this may have caused some changes in taste. Once cut, the air that the grapefruit segments are exposed to can start to dry out the fruit. This reduces some of the intense flavour that the grapefruit has. It may not have been that the bitterness had changed, but that the strength of flavour had, making it seem less bitter. Sometimes a temperature difference in food changes how your taste buds perceive the bitterness. Being cold fresh from the fridge could have taken the edge off the bitter taste you remembered from before. Lastly, any food you ate just before the grapefruit can change how you taste it. If you had just eaten something sweet, the contrast in flavours alerts your taste buds and brings out the intense bitter sensation.