Furaneol...Fabulous...what's your take on this?

[huntoften]

This was in our local paper today...any thoughts?

"Old-fashioned, “heirloom” varieties may be losing their edge as the best-tasting tomatoes available. Flavorful new varieties are now entering the fi eld.
Compared to their heirloom kin, these just-released, modern varieties are also easier to grow, said horticulturist Ward Upham at Kansas State University. Yes, their fruit has been fl avor-enhanced, but the plants themselves are disease-resistant, more productive and compact.
The new varieties include Mountain Glory, Red Defender, Scarlet Red and Security 28.
The varieties’ taste improvements trace back to the 1990s, when U.S. Department of Agriculture tomato researcher Ronald Buttery led a team that found something new in the natural chemicals that give tomatoes taste.
The chemical compound that the team extracted had been overlooked until then because it dissolves in water — including tomato juices. Called furaneol (fur-ANN-ee-uhl), the compound was present in various amounts but proved to be highest in tomatoes known to be better tasting.
“That really caught tomato breeders’ attention,” Upham said. “Soon, some of them had identified the gene that controls the level of furaneol and incorporated it into their breeding programs. We’re now seeing the fruit — pun intended — of their research.”
A modern variety named Fabulous wasn’t part of this breeding program, he added, yet it naturally has higher-than-average levels of furaneol.
“And Fabulous has been around long enough that seed may be available to home gardeners who would prefer to grow their own 2009 tomatoes from seed,” the horticulturist said.
Upham heads the Kansas Master Gardener program for K-State Research and Extension.
—K-State Research and Extension"