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On Aug 1, 2006, at 1:30 PM, Stephen Sadler wrote:

One assumes the melons were already warm in the fields, not refrigerated at the grocers, and warm again on the way home.  Why would an additional two hours at room temp at home be any different than a two-hour longer truck from the field, or going to the store two hours later?

 

What’s occurring may be similar to what happens to bread and tomatoes: refrigerated, some compounds crystallize, binding themselves in a way that makes them unavailable either to the taste or, possibly in the case of the lycopene in tomatoes and watermelons, to the body.  Warmed, the compounds unbind.  That bread that has no taste from the fridge is good again once toasted; the flavor-challenged refrigerated tomato still cooks up the same, and regains its sweetness and complexity once warmed.  And why wouldn’t the warmth of the body untangle things when the food’s eaten?  In some bound nutrients, it does – but in the wrong part of the digestive tract for optimal absorption. 

 

Just musing.  The practical answer here is to have many servings of fruits and veg daily prepared in a way that you like, so you’ll eat ‘em.   I’ve had the fresh-picked warm watermelons, and they do have the best flavor – but I really like using them to transport cold into my overwarm summer body, and to feel the chill from the first crackling bite.

 

Stephen

The article didn't say that the ones stored cold lost nutritional value, it said the ones stored warm GAINED nutritional value.  I don't think the has anything to do with the temp at which you eat them.  It just says that two weeks of "room temperature" will ripen the melon beyond what's considered "ripe" for market, increasing the amount of colorful nutrients.   Since nothing seemed to break down during cold storage, go ahead and serve them at whatever temperature you most enjoy.