The history of Tomato Paste
Dietary culture
Modern ketchup began in the early 20th century. The direct reason for its appearance is the discussion about the use of sodium benzoate. Harvey Willie, father of the Food and Drug Administration of the United States, questioned the safety of benzoic acid. So entrepreneurs, especially H. J. Heinz, founder of Heinz Foods, began to look for substances that could replace benzoic acid.
Previous tomato sauces were very sparse due to the use of immature tomatoes with less pectin content. Tomato sauce at that time contained less vinegar than it does today. By choosing mature tomatoes as raw materials, benzoic acid is not used in tomato paste, and its taste is not worse than that of early tomato paste. Some experts believe that the change in raw materials not only removes the use of benzoic acid, but also changes its taste, which makes it a widely used condiment today.
Previous tomato sauces had two flavors: bitter and salty. But the sauce also tastes good when ripe tomatoes are replaced with more tomato pulp. By adding more vinegar, it also has sour and spicy taste. It doubles in sweetness without benzoic acid. The combination of these five flavors makes tomato sauce very delicious.
Tomato paste used to be made from fresh tomatoes. After harvesting, tomatoes are evaporated in vacuum to form a very sticky paste. This tomato paste can be kept at room temperature for a long time, so it can be used to make tomato paste all year round.
In the past, tomato sauce was usually packed in glass bottles. Glass bottles can effectively protect tomato sauce from drying and oxidation, but because of the stickiness of tomato sauce, it is not easy to pour out of the glass bottle. The newly introduced polyethylene bottle makes it easy to squeeze out tomato sauce. Most tomato sauce today is packed in polyethylene bottles.
Nutritive value
1. Besides lycopene, there are vitamin B group, dietary fiber, minerals, protein and natural pectin in tomato paste. Compared with fresh tomatoes, the nutrients in tomato paste are more easily absorbed by human body.
2. Lycopene of tomato has the effect of diuresis and inhibiting the growth of bacteria. It is an excellent antioxidant and can scavenge free radicals in human body. Its anti-cancer effect is twice that of beta-carotene.
3. Medical studies have found that lycopene has preventive effects on some types of cancer, inhibits breast, lung and endometrial cancer, and also can fight lung and colon cancer.
4. Tomato paste tastes sweet and sour, which can increase appetite. Lycopene is more easily absorbed by human body when it contains fat.
Edible efficacy
1. Inhibiting cancer: Lycopene has preventive effect on some types of cancer, inhibits breast cancer, lung cancer and endometrial cancer, and also can fight lung cancer and colon cancer.
2. Anti-aging: Lycopene of tomato has diuretic and bacteriostatic effects. It is an excellent antioxidant and can scavenge free radicals in human body. Its anti-cancer effect is twice that of beta-carotene.
3. Promoting appetite: Tomato paste tastes sweet and sour, which can increase appetite. Lycopene is more easily absorbed by human body when it contains fat.