The Tomato and Tomato Processing Systems

Tomato fruits (lycopersicon lycopersicum is the scientific term for the common tomato) are berries with different forms and dimensions. The Tomato is a fruit because fruits are the edible part of the plant that contains the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, and roots of the plant. Tomatoes belong to the same family as nightshade, the tomato's deadly cousin. It consists of:

• epicarp - the external layer of polygobal cells
• mesocarp - the pulpy part of the epicarp that have been formed by cells with thin round walls. These contains, when ripe:
  • grains of a red colored material called licopene,
  • a liquid which is a water solution of flavor and savory compounds
• endocarp - the thicker tissue that divide and limit the pulp sections

The healthy good looks of a fresh, red ripe tomato are not just skin deep. Tomatoes are packed with health promoting vitamins and disease fighting phytochemicals, in particular lycopene. Tomatoes are also a source of fiber, have almost no sodium and fat and, like all vegetables, have no cholesterol. All this great nutrition for a mere 35 calories per medium tomato.

Tomato berry (longitudinal section)

GEA Liquid Processing supplies tomato processing lines including the process integration of the individual unit operations

The tomato is native to the Americas. It was initially cultivated by Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 A.D. Europeans first saw the tomato when the Conquistadors reached Mexico and Central America in the 16th century. Tomato seeds were taken back to Europe where they quickly gained ground - first Mediterranean countries but soon all over Europe and back to North America.

The processed tomato can be divided into the following end user categories:

• Peeled tomatoes
• Concentrate
• Tomato pulp
• Tomato paste
• Partially dehydrated tomatoes
• Tomato powder
• Ketchup
• Tomato juice
• Strained tomatoes
• Diced tomatoes

GEA Liquid Processing supplies complete tomato process lines and other GEA companies supplies the key unit operations:

• GEA Niro Soavi: High Pressure Pumps and Homogenizers
• GEA Evaporation Technologies: Evaporators
• Niro: Spray Dryers, Integrated Belt Dryers (FILTERMAT®), Freeze Dryers, Extractors, and Agglomerators
• GEA Filtration: Cross-Flow Membrane Filtration Systems
  
• Westfalia Separator: Separators, Clarifiers and Decanters
  
• GEA Powder Systems (a.k.a. Colby, GEA Avapac, and Sapac): Complete tomato powder conveying and packaging lines