# Sugar content (by percentage) of tomatoes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359 "2016-01-06T21:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/1 "2016-01-06T21:11:02Z")
I tried to get this from [ask.com](http://ask.com) , which was no help at all. Any help here? (The USDA says that lemons (!), at 8.9%, have more sugar than any other fruit.) ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/2 "2016-01-06T21:24:34Z")
You can find some charts that might be helpful [here](http://www.healthy-vegetable-gardening.com/brix-scale.html) and [here](http://thepaleodiet.com/fruits-and-sugars/) (and whoever told you that about lemons was mistaken.) ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/3 "2016-01-06T23:45:32Z")
I looked at the list in the second link. I have eaten tangeloes, which aren’t on that list. ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/4 "2016-01-07T07:34:25Z")
On wikipedia it says sugars: 2.6g pr. 100g. [Link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Nutrition) Edit: Sorry, didn’t notice you wanted to know by percentage. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/5 "2016-01-07T15:29:37Z")
Yes, I did. Nutrition Facts charts on food packages show sugar content, usually in grams; this per serving size, also measured in grams. Thus a percentage can be calculated. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/6 "2016-01-07T15:34:47Z")
…And I went to the corresponding page in Wikipedia for lemons. According to lemons’ information, the sugar content is 2.5 grams per 100 grams of lemon, giving a percentage of 2.5%. The USDA figure I quoted doesn’t match that. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/7 "2016-01-07T17:02:44Z")
It seems like the USDA should know that lemons are sour. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/8 "2016-01-07T17:10:28Z")
[From this paper it looks like around 1% Glucose and 1% Fructose for some varieties.](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwi71sPgmJjKAhWJ8j4KHQA5CrkQFggtMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unav.es%2Fpreventiva%2Fpredimed%2Farticulos%2FFood%2520Chem.%25202007-106-1046-56.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHz9KCCB3wQiElB5LfMqVjTAjmjhw) I didn’t read the paper, not positive what the numbers represent. ```auto Glucose (%) 0.93 ± 0.40 0.85 ± 0.28a 1.00 ± 0.40ab 1.16 ± 0.49b 0.91 ± 0.51a 0.86 ± 0.37a 0.037 (0.2–2.1) (0.2–1.7) (0.2–1.7) (0.3–1.9) (0.3–2.1) (0.2–1.7) Fructose (%) 1.02 ± 0.41 0.96 ± 0.28a 1.04 ± 0.41a 1.24 ± 0.54b 0.97 ± 0.47a 0.98 ± 0.40a 0.109 (0.2–2.2) (0.4–1.7) (0.3–1.9) (0.3–2.2) (0.2–2.0) (0.3–1.8) ``` ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/9 "2016-01-07T17:16:35Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > It seems like the USDA should know that lemons are sour. Well, it was apparently written as an irony. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/10 "2016-01-07T17:17:40Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > [From this paper it looks like around 1% Glucose and 1% Fructose for some varieties.](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwi71sPgmJjKAhWJ8j4KHQA5CrkQFggtMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unav.es%2Fpreventiva%2Fpredimed%2Farticulos%2FFood%2520Chem.%25202007-106-1046-56.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHz9KCCB3wQiElB5LfMqVjTAjmjhw) I didn’t read the paper, not positive what the numbers represent. > > ```auto > > Glucose (%) 0.93 ± 0.40 0.85 ± 0.28a 1.00 ± 0.40ab 1.16 ± 0.49b 0.91 ± 0.51a 0.86 ± 0.37a 0.037 > (0.2–2.1) (0.2–1.7) (0.2–1.7) (0.3–1.9) (0.3–2.1) (0.2–1.7) > Fructose (%) 1.02 ± 0.41 0.96 ± 0.28a 1.04 ± 0.41a 1.24 ± 0.54b 0.97 ± 0.47a 0.98 ± 0.40a 0.109 > (0.2–2.2) (0.4–1.7) (0.3–1.9) (0.3–2.2) (0.2–2.0) (0.3–1.8) > > ``` Well, they don’t mean a thing to me! ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/11 "2016-01-07T20:50:33Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Well, it was apparently written as an irony. I don’t think lemons are irony, either. Or any other sort of metallic taste. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-content-by-percentage-of-tomatoes/742359/12 "2016-01-07T23:22:22Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > I don’t think lemons are irony, either. Or any other sort of metallic taste. Cute.