Spray Dried Products T。 MATO POWDER Tomato powder is much in demand by dehydrated soup manufacturers, and is now produced in many countries where tomatoes are an indigenous outdoor crop. The heavy cropping Italian plum tomato is ideal for drying down to powder, and this is grown in most areas with a Mediterranean type climate. Tomatoes have a very low solids content- not more than 6 percent-and dehydration must be preceded by evaporating the pulped tomatoes down to a paste containing 30 percent solids. Drying to a powder then follows by one or other of the methods described PROCESS Fresh ripe tomatoes are delivered into a water soaking vat, from which they are conveyed by roller conveyor to a spray washer. After washing, the fruit is discharged to a sorting conveyor where bad tomatoes are removed manually PULPING At the end of the sorting conveyor, the tomatoes are pulped in a chopping machine, either by the ' hot break'or'cold break'method The former is more often used with tomatoes for dehydration. The tomatoes are preheated rapidly to about 88C prior to pulping, and this rapid heating destroys hich prevent decomposition of the pectin. The latters retention helps to give body to the paste The cold break method, by which the fruit is pulped at room temperature, produces a paste which is easier to spray but, when dried, the8 Spray Dried Products TOMATO POWDER Tomato powder is much in demand by dehydrated soup manufacturers, and is now produced in many countries where tomatoes are an indigenous outdoor crop. The heavy cropping Italian plum tomato is ideal for drying down to powder, and this is grown in most areas with a ‘Mediterranean￾type’ climate. Tomatoes have a very low solids content - not more than 6 percent - and dehydration must be preceded by evaporating the pulped tomatoes down to a paste containing 30 percent solids. Drying to a powder then follows by one or other of the methods described. PROCESS Fresh ripe tomatoes are delivered into a water soaking vat, from which they are conveyed by roller conveyor to a spray washer. After washing, the fruit is discharged to a sorting conveyor where bad tomatoes are removed manually. PULPING At the end of the sorting conveyor, the tomatoes are pulped in a chopping machine, eitherby the ‘hot break‘ or ‘cold break‘ method. The former is more often used with tomatoes for dehydration. The tomatoes are preheated rapidly to about 88°C prior to pulping, and this rapid heating destroys enzymes which prevent decomposition of the pectin. The latter’s retention helps to give body to the paste. The cold break method, by which thc fruit is pulped at room temperature, produces a paste which is easier to spray but, when dried, the 192