Faced with the current economic realities, farmers worldwide are searching for new options of surviving, as well as expanding their business. One of the many opportunities to grow markets, turnover and profits, is by adding value to farm produce through further processing. Most value-added food products available to consumers have been processed in some way or other, even if the processing is as simple as cleaning produce before it is packed in plastic or net bags.
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most important vegetables worldwide. As it is a relatively short duration crop and gives a high yield, it is economically attractive and the area under cultivation is increasing. Tomato belongs to the Solanaceae family. Tomatoes contribute to a healthy, well-balanced diet. They are rich in minerals, vitamins, essential amino acids, sugars and dietary fibers. Tomato contains vitamin B and C, iron and phosphorus.
In Pakistan Tomato is consumed in diverse ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes, sauces, salads, and drinks. The fruit is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects. Tomatoes are being grown in all four provinces of Pakistan.
Tomato Value Added Products
- Sun-dried tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes are produced by drying ripe tomato slices under shade cloth, out of direct sunlight. Tomatoes are dried in the form of halves, quarters or slices. The final product has a brown colour, distorted shape and does not rehydrate well.
- Tomato jam: tomato jam is produced from green or ripe tomatoes. Jam is a product which consists of whole fruit; pieces of fruit, fruit pulp or fruit puree of one or more types of fruit with fruit juice or concentrated fruit juice as an optional ingredient, and may contain permitted food additives and sweeteners.
- Tomato juice: Tomato juice is the unconcentrated, strained liquid extracted from ripe tomatoes. It is thus free of skin, seed and coarse particles, but contains insoluble solids in suspension. It may or may not be seasoned with salt. Tomato juice has a bright red colour and is opaque with a typical cooked tomato taste. It is high in nutrients, especially vitamin A.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste is a concentrated tomato pulp product in which the tomato solids have been increased to 24 -30 %. Higher concentrations are also available. The term “tomato puree” is also used for tomato concentrates produced by the evaporation of strained tomatoes but is generally less concentrated (>8.5 % total solids) than tomato paste.
