Peeled Tomatoes

Every Italian region has at least one tomato dish in its culinary culture, which says a lot about the organoleptic and health properties of this vegetable, as well as its versatility in the kitchen. In particular, the diced product is suitable for recipes where you want to enhance the texture of the fruit for its particular flavour. As a semi-raw food, it is ideal for the classic bruschetta, but also as a base for quick and easy sauces and stews. Of course, it is also suitable for longer cooking, such as braised meats and soups, and is perfect, together with peeled tomatoes, for enhancing fish. Diced tomato conserve, obtained after peeling and chopping, is one of the most valuable tomato products. The technology required for optimal processing demands high quality standards precisely to ensure the best possible yield and maintain the consistency and fragrance of the fresh product.

Tomato purée (or passata) is a very versatile ingredient, and one of the fundamental foods used to make many Made in Italy recipes, as well as many others, from pasta sauces to the basic condiments for pizzas, as well as being used in various meat-based main courses or vegetarian dishes. It is made exclusively from fresh tomatoes, and only high-quality, whole products are used, not waste from other processes, such as peeled tomatoes, which are instead recovered in the production of concentrates. Tomato purée can be defined as the juice or pulp of concentrated tomatoes without skin or seeds and is the result of a cold or hot extraction method whose resulting raw material is then thickened in evaporators. Carefully selecting the tomatoes used in the production of passata is crucial, as it can affect the quality and durability of the finished product. The selection criteria include ripeness and the absence of imperfections and defects. Deep red, ripe tomatoes with a higher

Tomato concentrate, also known as tomato extract, is derived from heated tomato juice, from which a certain amount of water is then subtracted. The amount of water extraction determines three different types of concentrate: single concentrate, double concentrate and triple concentrate. Tomato concentrate has many uses in cooking, especially in long cooking of meat or sauces. The concentrate can be added directly to the preparation during cooking, diluted with water to preference. It can also be used to give more body to a tomato sauce, or as a substitute for similar products like béchamel and ketchup. The concentrate is not harmful to health but, on the contrary, has antioxidant properties due to its high lycopene content. This is a natural substance, one of the carotenoids, and is found in many foods. In fact tomatoes are the largest source of lycopene, and cooking increases its beneficial effects.

Tomato pulp is obtained directly from freshly chopped tomatoes, after separating the skins and removing some of the water from them. Fruits intended for processing into pulp must be of similar quality to those intended for peeled fruit, i.e. with reduced seed content and increased firmness. In this case, round tomatoes are preferred, as they lend themselves to different types of processing, cutting or pressing, depending on whether you want to market a product as chopped, pulp, diced or sliced. Less liquid and more full-bodied than purée, tomato pulp is used in many recipes, from reduced sauces to stuffed focaccia, from "calzoni" to vegetable gratins and soups. The residual sugar content of the fruit is also evaluated. The fruit is then washed with jets of water and in tanks to remove any foreign matter resulting from harvesting, green parts and unsuitable fruit.