Benefits of Tomato Paste, the Benefits and Harm of Calories

Tomato pasteTomato paste is a concentrated tomato puree obtained by boiling them. The share of dry matter in the product is 20-40%. Interestingly, the tomato is a biological relative of the potato and belongs to the nightshade family. Peru is considered the birthplace of tomatoes, where the plant was cultivated long before the appearance of Europeans.

Tomato paste is used to obtain tomato-based products: ketchup, juice, sauce, and has a wide range of uses in cooking. According to GOST, only salt, water and tomatoes can be included in its composition, without the addition of preservatives, dyes and flavor enhancers. The product is packaged in glass, cans.

The darker the color of the tomato paste and the thinner the consistency, the lower its grade. The product of the highest quality has an orange-red hue and a thick structure, while the lowest quality is brown and liquid.

Useful Properties

The main advantages of tomato paste are improving the taste and appearance of dishes by giving them sourness and coloring them red. As a result, the food becomes more appetizing, gives off a pleasant aroma, which contributes to the production of digestive juices that improve its absorption.

Tomato paste contains the same vitamins as tomatoes. Most of all, ascorbic acid is concentrated in it (45 ml per 100 g, which covers 50% of the body’s daily need for vitamin). It is a powerful antioxidant that stimulates the immune system, helps to cope with pathogenic foreign microorganisms that invade tissues and organs from the environment, with food. Ascorbic acid prevents a wide range of diseases, from influenza, SARS, colds and ending with oncology.

The effectiveness of vitamin C increases in the presence of beta-carotene and tocopherol, which are concentrated in tomato paste and increase its antioxidant properties.

Thiamine speeds up metabolism, improves carbohydrate metabolism, and helps to reduce body weight. Niacin promotes the production of hormones, normalizes the level of bad cholesterol. In addition, the composition of tomato paste contains lycopene (160 mg per 100 g), which exhibits antioxidant activity. Carotenoid pigment reduces the level of oxidative stress, protects DNA, slows down the development of atherosclerosis, prevents oncogenesis, improves the functioning of the heart muscle, and normalizes blood pressure. Lycopene reduces the risk of developing tumors of the stomach, lungs and prostate, ischemic and eye diseases, peroxide processes in the tissues (lens).

Chemical composition

Nutritional value of tomato paste – 102 kcal per 100 g. Energy ratio B: W: U is 19%: 0%: 75%. This is a dietary product.

To thicken the texture, unscrupulous manufacturers introduce an additional ingredient into its composition – starch, which increases the nutritional value of the paste. Therefore, before purchasing a product, you should carefully read its labeling. If the composition contains other components in addition to water, tomatoes and salt, refuse to purchase such products. Most likely, it was prepared with violations of production technology.

A safe daily dose of a natural product is 50 g.

Table number 2 “Chemical composition of tomato paste”

Name
Nutrient content in 100 grams of product, milligrams

Vitamins

Ascorbic acid (C) 45,0 Niacin (B3) 1,9 Beta-carotene (A) 1,8 Tocopherol (E) 1,0 Pantothenic acid (B5) 0,85 Pyridoxine (B6) 0,63 Riboflavin (B2) 0,17 Thiamine (B1) 0,15 Folic acid (B9) 0,025 Biotin (H) 0,0045

Macronutrients

Калий
875
Хлор
232
Фосфор
68
Сера
51
Магний
50
Кальций
20
Натрий
15

Trace Elements

Железо
2,3
Цинк
1,1
Медь
0,46
Марганец
0,2
Молибден
0,03
Кобальт
0,025
Йод
0,009

Tomato pureeIt is recommended to purchase tomato paste in a transparent glass jar, which allows for an initial visual inspection of the product. It should be of a uniform consistency, reddish-red in color, thick. The shelf life of a sealed product in a glass container is 2 years from the date of manufacture (at a temperature of 0-25 degrees), metal – 1 year, aluminum – 6 months. An open jar is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 weeks, then its top becomes moldy.

If the tomato paste smells like fresh tomatoes, it means flavors have been introduced into its composition, hiding inaccuracies in cooking. You should not eat such a product. In addition, unscrupulous manufacturers add colorants, flavor enhancers, starch, exotic carrageenan, fruit puree that are not related to tomatoes to give a “bouquet” of taste and smell, the desired consistency to the product. The result is a marketable product at the exit that attracts the attention of the consumer, but does not provide value for the human body.

Potential damage

The composition of tomato paste contains organic acids (citric, malic), which irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive system. When the product is abused, the acidity of the stomach increases and the person experiences heartburn.

In addition, if chemical ingredients (thickeners, flavor enhancers, preservatives, stabilizers, flavors, colors) are added to tomato paste, it cannot be beneficial to humans.

Contraindications to use: stomach ulcer, individual intolerance, cholelithiasis.

Remember, tomatoes, like citrus fruits, are the strongest allergens that can cause anaphylactic shock, side reactions (rash, itching, redness of the skin, watery eyes, runny nose, cough). If these reactions appear, immediately exclude the vegetable from the diet and consult a doctor.

How to cook yourself

Homemade tomato pasteOnly ripe tomatoes of good quality are used to create tomato paste. Brown, green, broken and rotten fruits are not suitable.

Tomato paste cooking recipes

“Classic dietary”

Ingredients: cream tomatoes – 5 kg.

Principle of preparation:

  1. Wash the tomatoes, cut into 4-6 pieces. Place in a non-stick container.
  2. Put the saucepan on medium heat, cook for half an hour until the vegetables soften.
  3. Remove from stove. When the skin comes off the pulp, grind the boiled tomatoes through a sieve to remove the seeds and skin.
  4. Re-put the resulting tomato juice on the fire, boil until thickened. To prevent the workpiece from burning, stir it periodically. Simmer for 4,5 hours until a thick paste is obtained.
  5. Sterilize the jars, boil the lids. Spread the paste into containers, seal it tightly, wrap it up, leave for a day.

To improve the taste, salt (40 g), ground red pepper (5 g), grated garlic (1 head) are added to the tomatoes.

“Sharp for the winter”

Spicy tomato pasteIngredients:

  • tomatoes – 2 kg;
  • salt – 20 g;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • onion – 3 pieces;
  • ground red pepper – 2,5 g;
  • vegetable oil – 100 ml.

Sequence of preparation:

  1. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, peel them.
  2. Remove the husk from the onion and garlic, chop the first, and pass the second through a press.
  3. Turn the tomatoes through a meat grinder, boil with onions for 20 minutes, rub through a sieve.
  4. Add vegetable oil, garlic, spices, salt to the resulting mass. Boil the paste for another 15 minutes.
  5. Steam cans, sterilize lids.
  6. Spread the tomato paste in glass containers, twist, cover for a day. In order to avoid the reproduction of pathogens, preservation should be stored in a warm place (at above-zero temperature) for no more than 2 years.

Tomato paste is a universal product in cooking, which is used to make sauce for vegetables and meat products, adjika, ketchup, gravy and dressing for pasta, borscht, pizza, cabbage rolls, kharcho, ratatouille, hodgepodge, homemade products (stuffed pepper, eggplant caviar, lecho).

Interestingly, the tomato was previously considered an ornamental plant with poisonous fruits; it was grown in pots or gardens solely to decorate the local area. In 1822, the myth about the toxicity of tomatoes was dispelled and the product began to rapidly gain popularity.

Conclusion

Tomato paste is a canned mass obtained from mashed boiled tomatoes. The higher the concentration of dry matter in the product (30-45%), the better it is. This figure refers to the amount of tomatoes used to make the pasta. For the first time, the prototype of tomato puree appeared in the XNUMXth century in Italy, when local chefs mixed the concentrate with garlic, pepper and olive oil.

Currently, tomato paste is produced in the following varieties: first, highest and extra. The latter is distinguished by a rich orange-red color, a thick consistency and provides the greatest value for the human body.

A quality natural product contains only 3 components: tomatoes, water, salt.

Tomato paste is a storehouse of dietary fiber, organic acids, lycopene, vitamins A, E, B, C, macro- and microelements. According to scientists, the product has a strong antioxidant effect, protects body cells from premature aging and the harmful effects of the environment, helps to overcome stress, and reduces the risk of developing cancer and heart diseases. For the best effect, it is recommended to combine the intake of fresh tomatoes and sauces based on them.

Remember, the antioxidant lycopene can only be absorbed in the presence of fat.

The paste improves digestion, stimulates the production of gastric juice, improves metabolism. Contraindicated in people with ulcers, cholelithiasis, gastritis and high acidity of the stomach.

You can bookmark this page

Anna Evans

Author-editor

View all posts by Anna Evans →