Because of the photosynthetic cartenoids in the skin and flesh. Works like the green chlorophyll in other plants but in this case, you’ll see the fruit change from green to orange as it grows and ripens.
Oranges are orange because of pigments in their skin and flesh, primarily carotenoids, especially beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. These pigments reflect orange wavelengths of light, which gives the fruit its bright color.
But here’s a fun twist: not all oranges are orange. In tropical climates, oranges can stay green even when ripe, because the consistent warm temperature prevents the breakdown of chlorophyll (the green pigment). In cooler climates, like where oranges are grown in the U.S., the drop in temperature during ripening helps chlorophyll break down, allowing the orange carotenoids to show through.
So in short:
• Carotenoids = orange color
• Chlorophyll = green mask
• Cool weather = chlorophyll fades = orange shows
It is actually really cool. It turns out that many aspects of our ability to recognize color are, in fact, social constructs. When the ancient Greeks looked at the ocean, they didn’t see blue, they saw the color of wine. Hence, in Homer, it is called the “wine dark sea”. And so, there was no concept of the color orange, in the West at least, until oranges, the citrus fruit became common. As a result, they appear to name the color orange after the fruit. However, they certainly experienced sunsets….they just didn’t recognize it as “orange”. Other cultures distinguish between shades of green or white that many of us, as Westerners, simply cannot see. Also, the color pink is crazy new as well. Some tribes in Africa simply cannot tell the difference between pink and red. However, they can distinguish between shades of green that a vast majority of us can not see.
There red not orange because orange is a shade of red named after the fruit, well at least if English is your native language. This is why we have red squirrels and red heads
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Because of the photosynthetic cartenoids in the skin and flesh. Works like the green chlorophyll in other plants but in this case, you’ll see the fruit change from green to orange as it grows and ripens.
Are they?
Plato has entered the chat
Nowadays you can just ask the ais:
Oranges are orange because of pigments in their skin and flesh, primarily carotenoids, especially beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. These pigments reflect orange wavelengths of light, which gives the fruit its bright color.
But here’s a fun twist: not all oranges are orange. In tropical climates, oranges can stay green even when ripe, because the consistent warm temperature prevents the breakdown of chlorophyll (the green pigment). In cooler climates, like where oranges are grown in the U.S., the drop in temperature during ripening helps chlorophyll break down, allowing the orange carotenoids to show through.
So in short:
• Carotenoids = orange color
• Chlorophyll = green mask
• Cool weather = chlorophyll fades = orange shows
Nature’s palette at work!
It is actually really cool. It turns out that many aspects of our ability to recognize color are, in fact, social constructs. When the ancient Greeks looked at the ocean, they didn’t see blue, they saw the color of wine. Hence, in Homer, it is called the “wine dark sea”. And so, there was no concept of the color orange, in the West at least, until oranges, the citrus fruit became common. As a result, they appear to name the color orange after the fruit. However, they certainly experienced sunsets….they just didn’t recognize it as “orange”. Other cultures distinguish between shades of green or white that many of us, as Westerners, simply cannot see. Also, the color pink is crazy new as well. Some tribes in Africa simply cannot tell the difference between pink and red. However, they can distinguish between shades of green that a vast majority of us can not see.
There red not orange because orange is a shade of red named after the fruit, well at least if English is your native language. This is why we have red squirrels and red heads