Tomato paste is a very good product because most of the plant compound (e.g lycopene) present in tomato fruit happens to be in the highest amount in tomato products.
When you produce your tomato paste (home-made) you have the chance to choose the right tomatoes and it saves time because the moisture content is lesser than the raw tomatoes. It makes cooking faster, its objective is to make nutrients present in tomato available to customers and easy to purchase.TOMATO PASTE
The tomato is now grown and eaten around the world. It is used in diverse ways, including raw in salads, and processed into ketchup or tomato soup. Unripe green tomatoes can also be breaded and fried, use to make salsa, or pickled. Tomato juice is sold as a drink, and is used in cocktails such as the Bloody Mary.
Tomatoes are acidic, making them especially easy to preserve in home canning whole, in pieces, as tomato sauce or paste. The fruit is also preserved by drying, often in the sun, and sold either in bags or in jars with oil.
Tomato paste is a thick paste that is made by cooking tomatoes for several hours to reduce moisture, straining them to remove the seeds and skin and cooking them again to reduce them to a thick, rich concentrate. It was traditionally made in parts of Sicily, Southern Italy and Malta by spreading out a much reduced tomato sauce on wooden boards. The boards are set outdoors under the hot sun to dry the paste until it is thick enough when scraped up, to hold together in a richly coloured, dark ball. Today this artisan product is harder to find than the industrial (much thinner) version. Commercial production uses tomatoes with thick pericap walls and lower overall moisture. Tomato paste is concentrate of pureed tomato fruits sold in cans or at double strength in tubes. (Barbara., 2012)
NUTRIRTIONAL FACTS AND HEALTH BENEFITS
Tomato known scientifically as Solanum lycopersicum, the tomato is the berry of a plant from the nightshade family, native to South America. Depesite techanically being a fruit, the tomato is generally categorized as a vegetable (Bittman and Mark 2011).
Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K. They are usually red when mature, but can come in a variety of colours, including yellow, orange, green and purple. Then, there are many sub species of tomatoes, with different shapes and flavor.
NUTRITION FACTS
The water content of tomatoes is around 95%. The other 5% consist mainly carbohydrates and fibre. One medium sized tomato(123grams) contains only 22calories. The table below contains detailed information on the nutrients found in tomato products (paste) (Renato, 2014).
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates make up 4% of raw tomatoes, which amounts to less than 5grams of carbohydrate for an average sized tomato (123grams). Simple sugars, such as glucose and fructose, make up almost 70% of the carbohydrates (4%).
FIBER
Tomatoes are a good source of fiber, providing about 1.5grams per average sized tomato. Most of the fibers (87%) in tomatoes are insoluble, in the form of hemi-cellulose, cellulose\ and lignin.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Tomatoes are a good source of several of vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin C: an essential nutrient and antioxidant. One medium sized tomato can provide about 28% of the recommended daily intake.
Potassium: an essential mineral, beneficial for blood pressure control and cardiovascular disease prevention.
Vitamin K1: also known as phylloquinone, vitamin K is important for blood coagulation and bone health.
Folate (B9): one of the B-vitamins, important for normal tissue growth and cell function. It is particularly important for pregnant women.
The content of vitamins and plant compounds can vary greatly between different tomato species and sampling periods.
PLANT COMPOUNDS
LYCOPENE
Tomatoes are the best natural source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that belongs to the vitamin A family. It’s often in the news for its potential to prevent prostate cancer, but research has produced mixed results, according to a review in November 2011 in the “Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews”. A study published in the October 2012 issue of the journal “Neurology” reported that men who ate more lycopene had a lower risk of strokes. Guidelines for daily consumption of lycopene haven’t been established, but eating about 4-8 milligrams daily is probably enough to produce health benefits. It is the most abundant carotenoid in the ripened tomato and is found in the highest amount in the tomato peel (ACS, 2010).
BETA-CAROTENE
A yellow antioxidant which is converted into vitamin A in the body.
NARINGENIN
Found in tomato skin, this flavonoid has been shown to decrease inflammation and protect against various diseases in mice.
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