Quality loss during tomato paste production versus sauce storage

Two studies were conducted to assess the extent of quality changes in tomato processing versus storage. For the processing study, tomato juice was vacuum concentrated into paste at 68C for 300 min (LT) or 85C for 34 min (ST) and samples taken at 5-26 degrees Brix. Reduced ascorbic acid (RAA) degraded sooner during LT than ST but reached equivalent final concentrations. The particle size decreased and hue angle increased during LT, but not ST The viscosity decreased more during LT than ST There was no formation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF.) For the storage study, commercial tomato sauce was stored at 4 to 55C for 6 months. RAA degradation and HMF formation during storage were first order with activation energies of 77 and 70 KJ/mole, respectively. The particle size decreased at all storage temperatures, viscosity decreased at 45 to 55C and hue angle increased at 37 to 55C In general, quality loss of tomato sauce during processing was greater than during storage.