Method for controlling consistency of tomato products

摘要

A process for manufacturing tomato products to an established consistency standard by introducing a tomato extract feedstock having an initial precipitate weight ratio and an initial Brix level into a system, measuring these initial conditions of the feedstock, calculating an expected precipitate weight ratio of the tomato selected for manufacture from the feedstock, computing an expected Brix level of the tomato product, which may be done by comparing the initial precipitate weight ratio and Brix level of feedstock and the expected precipitate weight ratio of the tomato product to a programmed relationship between the initial precipitate weight ratio, the initial Brix level, the expected precipitate weight ratio and an expected Brix level of the tomato product to establish this expected Brix level of tomato product and concentrating the tomato extract feedstock until the expected Brix level is achieved. The process represents an improvement over the prior art by enabling tomato processors to use in-line measurement to monitor the consistency of the tomato product being produced.