Application Studies / Tomato Pasta Sauce - Back Extrusion

Tomato Pasta Sauce - Back Extrusion

Industry:

Food

Produce

Attributes measured:

hardness

firmness

area of work

extrusion force

Background

Viscometers, USDA consistometers, and Bostwick consistometers are often used to evaluate firmness of tomato based products. These methods do not always provide results that are both differentiating and repeatable. Particulates in the sample, oil separation and other inclusions can all drastically influence the results. This application study presents a back extrusion testing method that is nominally affected by particulates or separation, uses small amounts of sample, and provides differentiating and repeatable results. Three brands of tomato pasta sauce, Prego, Ragu and Shur Shine, were tested on the TA.XTPlus using a back extrusion technique and a TA-25 2” diameter cylinder probe. Suggestions are made for product with inclusions and comparisons are made with ketchup and tomato paste.