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Tomato Paste Processing Plants
Fruit & Vegetable Processing

Tomato Paste Processing Plants

A tomato paste plant crushes, heats and pulps fresh tomatoes before evaporating them to a high-solids paste, and the choice between hot break and cold break sets how thick the paste will be.

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Stainless-steel vessels with tall vapour columns, a shell-and-tube condenser and insulated pipework with green lines in a process hall

Tomato Paste Processing Plants

Paste is named by its soluble solids: a puree or pulp holds less, and paste more, so the evaporator target and the product name are tied together. The feed matters more than in most juice lines. Tomatoes grown for processing carry more solids and firmer flesh than watery fresh-market fruit, so a tonne of watery fruit gives less paste and leaves more water to boil off. The season is short and the peak intense, and rot cannot be seen after crushing, so decayed fruit is removed at sorting. A buyer has to settle the target solids, hot or cold break, the fruit supply across the season, the pack (drums, cans, pouches or sachets) and where skins and seeds will go. The evaporator is the main energy user and the main fouling point of the plant.

Tomatoes are washed, sorted to remove rot and crushed. Crushing releases enzymes that split pectin and thin the product, so the next step decides the paste's body. A hot break heats the crushed fruit quickly to a temperature that destroys those enzymes, and gives a thick, high-viscosity paste. A cold break holds the crush at a lower temperature, lets the enzymes act and gives a thinner product, which suits lower-viscosity uses. A pulper or finisher in two stages then strips skins and seeds from the pulp. The pulp is deaerated and sent to an evaporator, usually several effects in series, where falling-film stages take the thin pulp and forced-circulation stages handle the paste as it thickens and sticks. Evaporation under vacuum also helps keep the red colour and lycopene that buyers look for. The paste is then sterilised and filled hot into cans or pouches, or filled aseptically into bags in drums for industrial buyers. Evaporator tubes foul with tomato solids, so cleaning after each run is built into the plant. The pulping and filling stages can also be arranged to run puree or pulp at a lower target solids.

Indicative Capacity Range

  • 500–10,000 kg fresh tomato/hour

Key Specification Inputs

Brix target, peel/seed handling, evaporator duty, packaging.

Technical Specifications

TechnologyTomato crushing, pulping and multi-stage vacuum evaporation line for paste
Break OptionHot break for thick paste or cold break for thinner product, set by the end use
PulpingPulper and finisher with changeable screens to remove skins and seeds
EvaporatorSeveral effects in series; falling-film for thin pulp, forced-circulation for thick paste
Solids TargetSet by the product named and the buyer's specification, and fixed before the evaporator is sized
SterilisationHeat treatment before hot fill or aseptic filling, set by the pack
Packing OptionsAseptic bags in drums, or hot-fill cans, pouches and sachets
Contact MaterialFood-grade stainless steel, with grades chosen for the acid in tomato
AutomationManual or PLC control, with break temperature and Brix records
UtilitiesWash water, steam, cooling water, vacuum pump power and compressed air
Residue HandlingSkins and seeds conveyed to a feed, fertiliser or disposal outlet

Typical Process Route

1

Receiving and Washing

Fruit is weighed in, tipped into a flume and washed to remove soil and field debris. Fruit that waits too long at the gate softens and spoils.

2

Sorting Out Rot

Rotten, mouldy and unripe fruit are removed before crushing, since decay cannot be seen in the paste and shows up as mould in the product.

3

Crushing and Break

Fruit is crushed and the break type applied. A hot break heats the crush rapidly to stop pectin breakdown for thick paste, and a cold break lets it proceed for a thinner product.

4

Pulping and Finishing

Pulper and finisher screens separate skins and seeds from the pulp. Screen size sets texture and how much pulp is left in the waste.

5

Deaeration

Air is drawn off before the evaporator to reduce foaming and oxidation, which would dull the colour.

6

Multi-Stage Evaporation

The pulp is boiled down under vacuum to the target solids. Falling-film effects handle the thin pulp, and forced-circulation effects take the thick paste, which burns on hot tube walls.

7

Sterilisation and Filling

Paste is sterilised and hot-filled into cans or pouches, or filled aseptically into bulk bags in drums.

8

Cleaning and Residue Handling

Skins and seeds are collected for feed or fertiliser, and the plant is cleaned in place between runs.

Process & Equipment Modules

  • Intake hopper and washing flume
  • Sorting belt for rot removal
  • Crusher
  • Hot-break heater, or cold-break holding tank
  • Pulper and finisher
  • Deaerator
  • Multi-effect evaporator with forced-circulation stages
  • Condenser and vacuum system
  • Sterilising heat exchanger
  • Aseptic filler or hot-fill line
  • Skin and seed conveyor
  • CIP skid and PLC panel

Plant Output

Tomato paste at the target solidsTomato puree or pulp, at lower solidsSkins and seeds for feed or fertiliserCondensate for cleaning and wash water

Applications

  • Industrial tomato paste in drums for sauce makers and repackers
  • Tomato paste in tins and sachets for retail
  • Base for ketchup, pasta sauce and stews
  • Tomato puree or pulp at a lower solids target
  • Tomato paste for canned fish and bean sauces
  • Feedstock for tomato powder made by spray drying
  • Skins and seeds as a feed or fertiliser by-product

Key Features

  • Break Temperature Control

    The hot-break heater sets the thickness of the paste, so look for tight, repeatable temperature control and a quick-holding tube.

  • Two-Stage Pulping

    A pulper and finisher with changeable screens take skins and seeds out without carrying too much pulp into the waste.

  • Evaporator Built for Thickening Paste

    Falling-film effects for the thin pulp and forced-circulation effects for the paste handle both ends of the duty.

  • Sorting Before Crushing

    Rot is removed before it is crushed, because it cannot be picked out afterwards.

  • Colour-Protecting Vacuum

    Evaporating under vacuum preserves red colour and lycopene better than boiling at atmospheric pressure.

  • Cleaning Built In

    Tomato solids foul hot surfaces, so CIP connections and access for tube cleaning are specified from the start.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What information is needed to size Tomato Paste Processing Plants?
The fresh tomato tonnage per day and per season, the soluble solids of the fruit you will buy, the paste solids you want, hot or cold break, the pack (drums, cans, pouches or sachets) and the operating hours. Fruit solids matter most: watery fruit means more water to evaporate per tonne of paste, and the evaporator is sized to that.
What capacity range does Tomato Paste Processing Plants cover?
The indicative capacity range is 500–10,000 kg fresh tomato/hour. It is stated on a fresh tomato basis per hour, so restate your own volume on that basis and say how many hours a day the plant will run.
Should I choose hot break or cold break?
Hot break heats the crushed fruit quickly and destroys the enzymes that thin the product, giving a thick, high-viscosity paste. Cold break lets the enzymes act, giving a thinner product with a fresher character. Paste for sauces and tins usually calls for hot break. Choose from your end product before specifying the plant.
Can I make paste from ordinary market tomatoes?
You can, but the result and the economics differ. Watery fresh-market varieties give less paste per tonne and more water to evaporate, and the soft flesh bruises on the way to the plant. Fruit grown for processing, with higher solids and firmer flesh, gives better paste and lower evaporation cost, so supply agreements with growers are part of the project.
Why must rotten fruit be sorted out before crushing?
Mould grows on rotten tomatoes, and once the fruit is crushed it cannot be seen in the paste. Rot in the feed then shows up as mould in the finished product. Sort on a belt with enough staff and light before crushing; inspecting the paste afterwards cannot recover the loss.
What drives the energy cost of a paste plant?
Evaporation is the energy centre of the plant. Steam use depends on the water to be removed, the number of effects, and the steam temperature and heat recovery in the first effect. Compare proposals on steam per tonne of fruit, and see fruit juice concentration plants for how evaporator choices are made.
What happens to the skins and seeds?
They are a wet residue that spoils fast in warm weather. Most plants send it to livestock feed or fertiliser, so settle a collection route and a buyer before the first season and size the conveyors to the pulper output.
Can the paste be dried into powder?
Yes, paste or pulp can be fed to a spray dryer, but it is a separate plant with its own feed and dust-control needs. Decide whether paste is the end product or the feedstock for powder; see tomato powder processing plants.
How do I request a proposal for Tomato Paste Processing Plants?
Use the Request a Quote page and describe your project. Know your Brix target, the tonnes of tomato you can buy across the season, the pack format and how you will dispose of skins and seeds before comparing proposals.

Enquire about Tomato Paste Processing Plants

Send your raw material, target product and capacity to Kadali Africa Ventures for a technical proposal.

Request a QuoteWhatsApp