group, which is more soluble in fat than in water, so the colors don’t readily leak out of the tissue, and are fairly stable However, even carotenoids are changed by cooking When we heat carrots, their beta-carotene shifts structure and hue, from red-orange toward the yellow Apricots and tomato paste dried in the sun lose much of their intact carotenoids unless they’re treated with antioxidant sulfur dioxide (p 291) But compared to the green chlorophylls and multihued anthocyanins, the carotenoids are the model of steadfastness Aromas from Altered Carotenoid Pigments Both drying and cooking break some of the pigment molecules in carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables into small, volatile fragments that contribute to their characteristic aromas These fragments provide notes reminiscent of black tea, hay, honey, and violets Green Chlorophyll One change in the color of green vegetables as they are cooked has nothing to do with the pigment itself That wonderfully intense, bright green that develops within a few seconds of throwing vegetables into boiling water is a result of the sudden expansion and escape of gases trapped in the spaces between cells Ordinarily, these microscopic air pockets cloud the color of the chloroplasts When they collapse, we can see the pigments much more directly The Enemy of Green: Acids Green chlorophyll is susceptible to two chemical changes during cooking One is the loss of its long carbonhydrogen tail, which leaves the pigment water-soluble — so that it leaks out into the cooking liquid — and more susceptible to further change This loss is encouraged by both acid and alkaline conditions and by an enzyme called chlorophyllase, which is most ... develops within a few seconds of throwing vegetables into boiling water is a result of the sudden expansion and escape of gases trapped in the spaces between cells Ordinarily, these microscopic air pockets cloud the color of the. ..hay, honey, and violets Green Chlorophyll One change in the color of green vegetables as they are cooked has nothing to do with the pigment itself That wonderfully intense, bright green that... microscopic air pockets cloud the color of the chloroplasts When they collapse, we can see the pigments much more directly The Enemy of Green: Acids Green chlorophyll is susceptible to two chemical changes during cooking One is the