The tomato juice processing flow chart is: fresh tomato raw material selection and cleaning, manual selection, tomato crushing, tomato pulp preheating, tomato juice extraction, filtration, deployment, degassing, homogenization, sterilization, filling and sealing, spray sterilization, cooling, Package. The final product of tomato juice can be packed in bottles, tin cans or cartons, depending on market demand.

Tomato cleaning and selection: Use the shock wave generated by the bubble cleaning machine to remove dust, pesticides and other impurities on the surface of fresh tomatoes. And by hand-picking bug-eyed, rotten, immature tomatoes. It can guarantee the high quality and stability of tomato juice.

Tomato crushing and preheating: After cleaning and picking, the tomatoes need to be crushed into 3.5mm pieces with a tomato crusher, and preheated by a tubular preheater. The crushed and preheated tomatoes can improve the tomato juice yield and the consistency of the tomato juice for subsequent tomato processing.

Cold breaking means that the enzyme is inactivated at <70°C (usually 65°C) after the tomato is crushed; hot breaking means the enzyme is inactivated at >80°C (usually 85 or 90°C) after the tomato is crushed. Due to the low temperature of enzymatic inactivation, endogenous enzymes (mainly pectin three-series enzymes) are not completely inactivated, pectin is enzymatically hydrolyzed into short chains, the viscosity will be low, but the flavor and color are good, and the thermal destruction of enzymes is relatively complete, and the fruit The glue is less damaged, the viscosity is good, and the flavor and color are poor.

In order to ensure the rich flavor and brighter color of the tomato juice, it is recommended to use the cold breaking method.

Tomato Juicing and Filtration: The crushed and preheated tomato pieces can be passed through a tomato juicer and a tomato pulper to extract tomato juice. After the tomato juice is obtained, it can be further ground by a colloid mill to ensure that the tomato juice tastes more delicate and silky. The sediment and impurities in the tomato juice are filtered out through a double filter.

Tomato juice preparation: As a seasoning for tomato juice, we can add wine vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, etc. according to the taste preference of tomato juice. The mixing and formulating process is in the mixing tank, which is equipped with an agitator to mix all the ingredients evenly and thoroughly.

Degassing, homogenization and pasteurization of tomato juice

The crushing and beating of tomatoes is not carried out in a closed environment, and air will inevitably be mixed, so after the preparation of tomato juice, degassing is required. At the same time, in order to further refine the pulp particles and increase the consistency and stability of the tomato juice, a homogenizer can be used to make the tomato juice have a smoother taste through homogenization.

Tomato juice contains pulp, which makes it a relatively viscous liquid. Therefore, sterilization is required before filling. Typically a HTST sterilization process (90-95°C 40-60S) is used. The sterilized tomato juice is orange-red, the sugar content is 4.3%, and the pH value is 4.4.

Tomato juice filling and sealing

The containers used for tomato juice are metal cans, glass bottles or PET bottles. Pour the pre-sterilized tomato juice into a clean container, our tomato juice filling machine integrates the three functions of washing, canning and sealing to improve the efficiency of tomato juice canning. In order to prevent oxidation, the sterilized tomato juice needs to be quickly cooled to 85-89℃, put into the container immediately, and it should be sealed immediately after filling. This filling method, called hot filling, prevents the product from oxidizing.

Secondary pasteurization and packaging of tomato juice

After filling, the tomato juice needs secondary sterilization for safety reasons, and the filled containers are transported to the pasteurization tunnel for secondary sterilization. The first 2 meters of hot water are sprayed and sterilized, and the sterilization process is 90-95°C for 15-20 minutes; the latter is sprayed and cooled, and the temperature of the tomato juice is quickly cooled to below 35°C with cooling water, and then sprayed after drying. Labeled and boxed packaging.