Disperse the paste
Disperse tomato paste in hot water under agitation until fully homogeneous.
Sauces
Tomato sauce and ketchup
A product that looks simple and is controlled with three numbers: degrees Brix, pH and viscosity. If all three sit in range, the rest is flavour formulation.
Formulation per 100 kg of product
| Component | Amount | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato paste (28 – 30 °Brix) | 30 – 40 kg | The base. Starting from concentrated paste is standard: working with fresh tomato demands a season and your own concentration plant. |
| Water | 35 – 45 kg | Adjusted to reach target Brix of the finished product. |
| Sugar | 10 – 15 kg | High in ketchup: balances acidity and adds body. |
| Vinegar | 5 – 8 kg | Lowers pH and defines the characteristic profile. |
| Salt | 1.5 – 2.5 kg | |
| Modified starch | 0.5 – 2 kg | Adjusts viscosity. In premium ketchup little is used and body comes from the paste. |
| Spices (onion, garlic, clove, cinnamon) | 0.3 – 0.8 kg | The flavour profile that separates one brand from another. |
| Preservative | 0.05 – 0.1 kg | Per national rule. With low pH and hot filling it is often unnecessary. |
Process
Step by step, with the temperatures.
Add dry ingredients
Sugar, salt and starch pre-blended dry, so no lumps form.
Cook and concentrate
Heat until target Brix is reached. This is where the body of the product is set.
Acidify
Vinegar last, on low heat: acetic acid is volatile and is lost if boiled for long.
Check the three numbers
Brix, pH and Bostwick viscosity before filling. Correcting here is cheap; correcting later is impossible.
Hot fill
Fill at 85 – 90 °C, cap immediately and invert the container to sterilise the cap. Then cool quickly.
| Control point | Value |
|---|---|
| Finished product Brix | 25 – 33 °Brix |
| Final pH | < 4.2 |
| Hot fill temperature | 85 – 90 °C |
| Bostwick viscosity | 4 – 8 cm / 30 s depending on style |
| Shelf life | 12 – 18 months unopened |
| Starting paste Brix | 28 – 30 °Brix |
Troubleshooting
What went wrong, and why.
Half the craft is reading the defect. These are the ones that keep coming back.
| What you see | What caused it |
|---|---|
| Water separation (syneresis) | Low Brix or insufficient starch. Shows as a watery ring on opening and the consumer reads it as adulterated product. |
| Brown instead of red | Excess cooking time or high temperature: lycopene degrades and Maillard reactions set in. |
| Burnt taste | Product baked onto the tank wall. Fixed with agitation and adequate heating surface. |
| Product too runny | Filled without checking viscosity. Bostwick is measured on every batch, not just the first. |
| Microbiological spoilage | pH above 4.2 or filling below 85 °C. Those two are the product’s only barriers. |
Frequently asked
What people ask before they start.
Fresh tomato or paste?
Paste, unless you sit next to the growing area and can run a concentration plant. Fresh tomato is seasonal and perishable and forces you to run full capacity in a few weeks a year. Paste is bought year-round and standardises the raw material.
What technically separates ketchup from tomato sauce?
Mainly sugar, vinegar and viscosity. Ketchup carries considerably more sugar and acid and a denser body; cooking sauce is less sweet and more fluid. Same process line, two different formulations.
Why invert the container after capping?
So the hot product sterilises the cap and headspace. It is a thirty-second step that prevents mould under the cap, the most common defect in this category.
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