Classic ketchup: history, properties, types, facts. Russian production of ketchup and mayonnaise: born "straight" Why is ketchup made in the winter at the factory

Tomatoes or tomato paste, salt, sugar, vinegar, spices. This is what ketchup is made from. Rather, they should. On many ketchups, tomatoes are only painted, but inside there are no tomatoes, not even tomato paste. Not a drop. They are made from apple and plum puree. They are cheaper than tomatoes. And to give a characteristic taste and color, dyes and thickeners are added.

For example, this plant mixes tomato paste and applesauce in equal proportions, which saves on production.

We noticed that the composition of tomato puree and apple puree gives a pleasant sweet and sour taste. We get tomato paste from China, as we do not have the ability to process tomatoes in our production. We get applesauce from Iran, as it is not possible to process apple fruits in our own production. Rimm Yakupova, chief technologist of the ketchup plant

Applesauce ketchup is perfectly edible. There are lovers who claim that such a sauce is even tastier than the one made from tomatoes. But the less tomato paste in ketchup, the more dyes and thickeners are added to it.

In order to obtain the necessary consistency in the manufacture of ketchup, a structurant is introduced into it. Starch can be used, but is a lesser choice as it has poor water retention in ketchup formulations. And in the process of storing ketchup on starch, water may be released. Alexander Kolesnova, Professor, Moscow State University of Food Production

The problem is that when we buy a jar labeled “Ketchup”, we are sure it contains tomatoes or tomato paste, and not applesauce. The apple and plum sauce should have been called something else.

These ingredients are prohibited. That is, applesauce is an illegal, unacceptable product for making ketchup. A product made from tomatoes and block puree, for example, may be called by a different name, have a different name, but not ketchup.

You can choose delicious ketchup by color and texture. Our expert will show you how.

Elena Sukhachova. An artist who has been drawing since the age of two. Even without trying, he can distinguish Tabasco from Georgian sauce. It’s just that Elena paints her paintings not with oil and watercolor, but with ketchup.

Drawing with ketchup is convenient, because you can always finish it during lunch. Elena Sukhachova, artist

Elena always carefully chooses ketchup for a new painting. It has a strict quality criterion.

I choose by color. A good ketchup should be a maroon color, something like this, because tomatoes become that shade when cooked. This ketchup is too runny and not the right color. This is not dark burgundy, it will spread on the picture, and you will not get the effect that you need. Elena Sukhachova, artist

When buying ketchup, pay attention to the color. Unnatural shades - orange, bright scarlet or pink - indicate that there are a lot of dyes in the sauce.

Another important rule not only for drawing, but also for nutrition: good ketchup should not contain starch. True, not all manufacturers honestly indicate it in the composition.

When I buy ketchup, I make sure that there is no starch in the composition, otherwise the drawing will not work. But, in fact, it is difficult to choose such ketchup, because almost all contain starch and vinegar. Elena Sukhachova, artist

Let's do a little test. These are two bottles of ketchup from different manufacturers. Each contains water, tomato paste, vinegar, spices, salt and sugar. This is exactly what quality ketchup should be. Now we will find out whether starch was added to some of them or not.

To do this, take ketchup, a plate and place a small slide on a plate. High-quality ketchup should not spread over a horizontal surface like a liquid. The slide will change its shape, that is, spread, but very slowly and gradually. Poor-quality ketchup or low-quality ketchup will change the area of ​​​​the base of the slide quickly enough, that is, it will spread very quickly. Vyacheslav Zykov, Executive Director of the Russian Association of Canned Food Producers

We drip sauces on napkins.

Look, this ketchup spreads quickly, and a water ring forms around it in a matter of seconds. This means it contains starch. And this drop of ketchup spreads more slowly, but a small water ring has also formed around it. This means that there is also starch in this sauce, but it is less.

The effect of water release from ketchup is called synderesis. In high-quality ketchup, it should be practically absent or appear after a sufficiently long exposure. And in less quality ketchup, it will appear quickly enough. This suggests that the ability to retain moisture in the composition of the product for this ketchup is very low. It can be concluded that in its manufacture, a lower quality tomato puree or paste and a cheap structure former, for example, starch, were used. Vyacheslav Zykov, Executive Director of the Russian Association of Canned Food Producers

There is another way to find out if there is starch in the sauce or not. Squeeze the sauce onto a plate and swirl it around. If the drop trembles like jelly, then the sauce contains starch.

So, high-quality ketchup has finally been found. Now Elena will try it in action.

Well, the picture is ready, now you can dry it. I will leave it for a night or two nights, it will dry somewhere on the windowsill. Elena Sukhachova, artist

It seems that no one will argue that you can eat anything with good ketchup or mayonnaise. The reverse is also true: a bad sauce can easily spoil even the most worthy dish. The secret of good ketchups and mayonnaises is simple - it's all about the composition. The use of natural ingredients and a special production technology provides such sauces with a real taste close to similar home-made products. Yes, “homemade” ketchups and mayonnaises are not cheap. But saving on technology and raw materials could lead to the fact that an unnatural color, too sharp taste and a strange consistency would simply discourage appetite. Even if you season dishes from expensive and high-quality products with sauce.

About how one of the few Russian "natural ketchups" and mayonnaises with unusual natural ingredients are created - in our report from Mr.Ricco, one of the largest sauces producers in Russia and Europe.

Why are natural sauces better?

Despite all the variety of varieties and flavors of ketchup, in fact there are only two varieties: natural and NOT natural. The former have a natural taste and color and contain substances that are beneficial to health. The latter often have a sharp "chemical" smell and taste, and sometimes an unnatural color - too bright, too pale or even orange (and not red, as it should be).

The composition of a typical cheap ketchup is as follows: water, starch and a small amount of tomato paste, and often not of the highest quality. For the sake of disguise as a real tomato ketchup, dyes, flavors and flavor enhancers are added to the starch sauce. Sometimes they add too much. In this case, the taste of ketchup is too sharp, so that the taste of the dish itself is not felt behind it.

The consistency is also different: “ketchup is NOT natural” either spreads on a plate, or vice versa, it stays cold and even trembles like jelly. If very cheap starch is used, the surface of the ketchup drop is smooth and glossy. Modified starch gives the sauce a grainy texture close to natural. And yet, the differences from real tomato ketchup are significant.

Natural tomato ketchup does not need chemicals: it has a minimum of ingredients, the main component is expensive high-quality tomato paste seasoned with salt, sugar and ground spices. Depending on the recipe, pieces of vegetables or, for example, garlic may be added.

Special cooking technologies, which will be discussed below, make it possible to prepare “natural ketchup” while preserving all the healthy substances contained in tomatoes. So natural sauces are not only tastier, but also healthier than their starch counterparts.

Where are natural sauces made?

In the Republic of Tatarstan, 8 kilometers from Kazan, there is one of the largest production facilities for ketchup, mayonnaise and other oil and fat products not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. The production of sauces of NEFIS-BIOPRODUCT JSC, as well as the facilities of Kazan Fat Plant JSC and Kazan Oil Extraction Plant JSC, are located on a vast area. All of them are part of the Nefis group of companies.

Nefis Group of Companies is one of the leading Russian manufacturers of household chemicals and oil and fat products. The group of companies owns many well-known and beloved brands in Russia. Thus, Nefis Cosmetics JSC produces household chemicals under the brands AOS, BiMax, Sorti, Biolan and others. JSC "NEFIS-BIOPRODUCT" is known for the brands of sauces and vegetable oil Mr.Ricco, "Miladora" and "Laska".

Andrey Vladimirovich Kulikov, Deputy General Director for Innovation and Implementation, and Margarita Viktorovna Gerkina, Chief Technologist of the enterprise, conducted a tour of the Mr.Ricco ketchup and mayonnaise production lines for a group of journalists and bloggers.

JSC "NEFIS-BIOPRODUCT" today is one of the largest enterprises for the production of sauces in Russia, in the countries of the former USSR and in general in Europe. The volume of production is impressive - almost 200 thousand tons of finished products per year. The capacities of the enterprise allow to produce about 250 tons of mayonnaise, more than 100 tons of ketchup and 400 tons of butter per day. Yes, “natural ketchups” and “natural mayonnaises” Mr.Ricco are produced here in tens and hundreds of tons daily.

To ensure uninterrupted and rhythmic production of such a volume of oil and fat products with minimal dependence on external factors, the Nefis group is building a system of a complete closed supply cycle. The manufacturer strives to independently carry out all processes from planting and harvesting the initial crops (for example, sunflower) to the delivery of finished bottles of oil to stores. Mayonnaises and other sauces produced by Nefis, of course, use oil of our own production.

The company has its own warehouses and elevator facilities for sunflower storage, its own oil extraction plant, oil storage tanks and its own packaging production.

The Nefis group also has its own extensive vehicle fleet: 220 sunflower trucks alone.

A dedicated railway line passes directly through the production area.

Production volumes are significant, therefore, raw materials are purchased from suppliers by whole trains. And the finished products are shipped in trains for export to neighboring countries and Europe.

In 2017, sauces and butter from Tatarstan began to be delivered to China. Partners and consumers from the Middle Kingdom were impressed by the high quality of Russian “natural ketchups” and “natural mayonnaises” from Nefis.

Thanks to automation and the widespread introduction of automatic lines and robots, Mr.Ricco's ketchup and mayonnaise production practically does not use manual labor - "only" 800 people work on the company's lines. For such a large-scale production, this is not much at all. “Robots are working hard, a person is happy” - basically, the tasks of the staff involve monitoring the operation of automation.

How are containers and packaging made?

The Nefis group has its own packaging production - its capacity not only fully covers the needs of the enterprise, but even allows it to supply packaging to other manufacturers.

How is the packaging done? From suppliers, polymeric material comes in granules, which are melted down and turned into blanks for cans, bottles and lids.

Moreover, the suppliers of raw materials for packaging are Russian.

Here, jars for sauces and bottles for Mr.Ricco vegetable oil, ketchups and mayonnaises familiar to us are blown out of preforms, similar to test tubes, on a special machine. To create a jar, the neck of the preform is cut off. Non-waste production: the cut off parts of the blanks, as well as the rejection, are cleaned and processed back into granules, from which new blanks will be made.

Preforms, the so-called "cartridges", are transported to the warehouse by electric forklifts. Organized uninterrupted supply of "ammunition" to the production line. The Inzher system automatically sends containers with blanks from the warehouse to conveyors along a monorail laid under the ceiling. The Inzher company, a manufacturer of automated transport systems based on monorails, is based right there, in Tatarstan, in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny.

How is Mr.Ricco's natural ketchup made?

One of the most popular Nefis products is Mr.Ricco ketchups. Several times they received awards for quality, including taking first place in the Test Purchase program on Channel One and entering the top twenty best Russian goods according to the Roskachestvo project.

The main ingredient of Mr.Ricco ketchup - expensive high-quality tomato paste - is purchased mainly in Portugal, Spain and Chile. In Russia, unfortunately, there are no suppliers capable of ensuring uninterrupted supplies in the volumes Nefis needs - hundreds and hundreds of tons per month.

This is how one of the warehouses looks like, where barrels of high-quality natural tomato paste ready for ketchup are stored.

Only a small part of the huge vault fit in the frame. In addition to pasta, other ingredients for sauces are also stored there.

Large briquettes of dried mushrooms are securely packed in sealed packaging.

And here is what a pickled cucumber looks like ready for use in sauces.

And mushrooms, and cucumbers, we note, are also exclusively domestic production. But back to tomato paste. Tomato paste of "high pectin" varieties is stored inside barrels in aseptic foil bags. The machine with a special roller squeezes it out of these packages.

For the production of Mr.Ricco ketchups, a special tomato paste is purchased - from special "fleshy" varieties of tomatoes, especially rich in pectins and lycopene. In the preparation of the sauce, pectins act as a natural structure-forming agent (thickener) - instead of starch, which is used in cheap ketchups. Lycopene is a natural coloring agent that gives tomatoes their natural bright red color.

Pectin and lycopene are very beneficial for health - they have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, remove harmful substances from the body and even help prevent the development of cancer: skin cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

You ask: “Why do most manufacturers make ketchup with starch and dyes, if the tomato paste already has everything you need? Out of harm? The whole difficulty is to properly cook ketchup - this requires expensive raw materials and a complex technological process. Even the temperature of preparation of tomato paste plays a role: pectins are destroyed during prolonged heating.

Mr.Ricco natural ketchups use a paste prepared using Hot-Break technology: it is briefly heated to 110 degrees Celsius and kept at this temperature for only 30 seconds, which allows the pectins to “activate” but not collapse.

Nefis prepares sauces in cooking pots of the well-known German manufacturer Stephan Machinery. One "Stefan" holds 1.2 tons of sauce and produces 3.6 tons of finished product per hour.

“Stefan” is smart and independent: he controls the temperature and pressure necessary to comply with the technology for preparing “natural ketchup”, “natural mayonnaise” and other Mr.Ricco products. "Stefan" tracks the proportion of ingredients with high accuracy - up to a gram.

The ingredients are stored in separate tanks connected to the Stefan by a complex system of pipes. In the case of Mr. Ricco's "natural ketchup", the ingredients are tomato paste, salt, sugar and spices. Vinegar and pieces of vegetables can be added to sauces, depending on the recipe.

Stefan cleans itself in the automatic washing mode, so that after cooking one type of product, it can quickly and safely switch to the production of another.

Stefan digesters cost about a million euros each, at the Nefis production there are 12 of them. Not every manufacturer in Russia and even in Europe can afford such expensive equipment, and even in such quantity.

“Ketchups are NOT naturals” are prepared in a completely different way. Often they use the cheapest tomato paste from China. Moreover, the most expensive ketchup ingredient - pasta - is used much less than in natural sauce. The main ingredients are starch and water.

Pasta for “NON-Natural Ketchups” is boiled at a temperature of 85 degrees for 45 minutes, due to which very few tomato pectins, vitamins and lycopene remain in the final product. To give the right consistency, manufacturers of inexpensive ketchup add starch or guar gum (E412) to the sauce. Artificial colors and flavor enhancers are used to add flavor and color.

Such “ketchups are NOT straight” are absolutely NOT useful for the figure. Starch is a fast carbohydrate. The feeling of fullness from such food does not last long, so you eat much more with the “NOT natural” sauce. In short, eating those extra pounds with "starchy" ketchup is much easier.

But on the other hand, such a “pseudo-ketchup” will get on the shelf with the lowest possible price. Since low price is the main factor of choice for a large part of consumers, most manufacturers do not bother with complex and expensive technology. Inexpensive "chemical" ketchups with starch or gum as a thickener and many additives - dyes, flavor enhancers, etc. are mass-produced.

But let's get back to naturals. Freshly made bottles are filled with ketchup under sterile conditions.

Each bottle with the finished product is hermetically sealed with a cork with a special foil gasket. The sealing gasket protects the sauce from oxygen and bacteria from the air entering the bottle. After filling and packaging, labels are applied to the bottles.

Then the army of ketchup bottles from the column is rebuilt into lines.

After that, the ketchup is packed in boxes and sealed in a film.

Next, the ketchup boxes go to a robot-packer named KUKA. Kuka stacks boxes on pallets, and not just one on top of the other, but in a special order that ensures stability. If necessary, Cook can turn the bottles in the boxes so that the labels “look” outwards.

KUKA robots are made in Germany, each costs about 10 million rubles and can replace a whole team of loaders. In general, human participation on the production line, which produces up to 40 tons of products every hour, is minimized - only six people work here. Their tasks are to control the operation of automation and robots, as well as transport the product ready for shipment to the shipping warehouse.

The formed pallets are placed by KUKA on a machine that wraps them in polyethylene film. The number of layers is regulated depending on how and over what distance the packaged product will be transported.

In this warehouse, stacks of finished products can be stored several floors up to the ceiling. To prevent the product from spoiling, a constant temperature of about 6 degrees Celsius is maintained in the warehouse.

Loading a 20-ton truck with products from the warehouse takes an average of 10 minutes. Up to 8 trucks can be loaded at the same time. During the day, the production is able to ship up to 90 trucks of its products.

How is natural mayonnaise made?

It was possible to get acquainted with the technology of mayonnaise production using an interesting example: the visit of journalists and bloggers to the Nefisa plant coincided with the launch of the production of Mr.Ricco mayonnaise with avocado oil. For the Russian market, this is a novelty, but in Europe and America, turned on the principles of proper nutrition, a similar product has been on sale for several years.

The Nefis Group has a reputation as an innovator in the Russian market of sauces: in 2005, it was under the Mr.Ricco brand that sales of the first mayonnaise in Russia based on quail eggs began.

Mayonnaise on a quail egg has a special, light taste. In addition, quails are extremely rarely carriers of infectious diseases - the same salmonellosis. That is why the classic mayonnaise on a chicken egg is made from pasteurized dried yolk, and fresh yolks in liquid form are added to mayonnaise on a quail egg.

Quail eggs are a useful product: they contain vitamins of groups B, A and PP, amino acids, minerals important for the body, unsaturated fatty acids and lecithin. That is, mayonnaise on quail eggs is not only tasty, but also healthy. Let's just say, more useful than classic mayonnaise, on chicken eggs.

So, in 2017, Nefis picked up the already established global trend and was the first in Russia to start selling mayonnaise with avocado oil.

In 1998, the avocado was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most nutritious fruit in the world. Its fruits are rich in vitamin A and potassium, which are good for the heart. Avocados are also a source of healthy fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6. Plus, it contains lecithin, phosphatins and amino acids.

In the system of "proper nutrition" avocado is one of the most popular products. Avocado often replaces butter. Avocados have up to 30% fat, but only 160 calories per 100 grams. For comparison: in butter there are as many as 717 calories in the same 100 grams - almost 5 times more than in avocados.

It will seem to someone that the phrases “healthy mayonnaise” or even “mayonnaise and proper nutrition” are oxymorons, absurdity. And yet, taking into account the use of avocado oil, it can be assumed that the new Mr.Ricco mayonnaise is really the most useful (or the least harmful - here it’s clearer for anyone) of all types of mayonnaise on sale.

No, of course, Mr.Ricco Organic mayonnaise with avocado oil is not a dietary product. This is a full-fledged, real mayonnaise, but with an extremely useful ingredient in the composition. And a light taste of avocado allows you to use Mr.Ricco mayonnaise both in traditional dishes, where you need a classic mayonnaise taste, and in culinary experiments - when you want to try something new. Some housewives add, as an experiment, a chopped apple in Olivier or olives in a vinaigrette.

Natural avocado oil is supplied to the production of Nefis from New Zealand. The supplier country was not chosen by chance - agricultural products from "green and clean" (the slogan of New Zealand) are famous for their environmental friendliness.

The remaining ingredients of Mr.Ricco mayonnaise with avocado oil are mainly Russian-made: egg yolk, mustard oil, vinegar, salt, spices - all this comes from different parts of the Republic of Tatarstan and other regions of Russia.

The bags are filled with mayonnaise, then spouts with a twisted stopper are soldered to them.

Ready, hermetically sealed package of mayonnaise looks like this:

The first industrial batch is ready! Mr.Ricco Russian mayonnaise with avocado oil is already sold in some stores, and will soon be available throughout Russia.

Sanitary regime and quality control

"Natural ketchups" and "natural mayonnaises" Mr.Ricco are prepared in perfectly clean, almost sterile conditions. The Nefis enterprise has a standard sanitary regime for this kind of production. On the entire territory you can ONLY be in dressing gowns or overalls, replaceable shoes or shoe covers.

In the sanitary inspection room, it is necessary to treat your hands with an antiseptic (chlorine solution) and walk on a rug soaked in a special disinfectant.

Employees who come into contact with ingredients or open product always wear headgear.

Preheated and carefully filtered air is supplied to all rooms where Mr.Ricco mayonnaises and ketchups are produced using powerful ventilation systems. Many production sites have ultraviolet lamps hanging from the ceiling - as you know, ultraviolet kills many types of microbes in the air. There are especially many UV lamps in the rooms where ingredients are handled and sauces are cooked.

In general, Mr. Ricco's "natural ketchups" and "natural mayonnaises" can be calm for the perfect purity.

Samples are taken from each batch of ketchup and mayonnaise for analysis. On "Stefan" there is a special faucet for this.

A new portion is sent to the laboratory.

For constant quality control of products at the Nefis enterprise, two production laboratories and a research center are equipped. Andrey Vladimirovich Kulikov, Deputy General Director of JSC "NEFIS-BIOPRODUCT" for Innovation and Implementation, admitted that even many European sauce manufacturers can envy the level of equipment of the laboratories of the "Nefis-BIOPRODUCT" group.

Matrix-I spectrometers from the American company Bruker are used to analyze product samples. Several million rubles were spent on the purchase of this equipment, but the price is 100% justified. Based on the ability of various products to absorb a part of the light spectrum of a certain wavelength, the spectrometer almost instantly determines the chemical composition and the amount of ingredients in the product with high accuracy.

The process takes no more than 30 seconds and allows you to control the quality of products even with huge volumes of continuous production. With simpler equipment, instead of 1 analysis on one device, you would have to do 6 different analyzes, and the procedure would take up to 30 minutes - during this time you can release and pack a whole batch of low-quality product, which, if any problems are identified, will then have to be completely disposed of.

The Nefis laboratory is also armed with manual and electronic refractometers and many other types of specialized equipment. For example, in the photo below - a special device that determines the density of ketchup by means of long and monotonous stirring in the flask.

People who make "natural ketchups" and "natural mayonnaises"

There are a lot of representatives of the fair sex among the workers of the plant. The girls are excellent at their job and skillfully manage complex equipment. And, despite the hard and responsible work, they manage to remain friendly and attractive.

conclusions

Ketchup and mayonnaise are products that are completely familiar to Russians, the most popular types of sauces, familiar from childhood. However, the production of these sauces from high-quality natural ingredients, without the addition of artificial thickeners, dyes and flavor enhancers, is a rather complicated and expensive task. Much of the cheap ketchup and mayonnaise available commercially is made using starch and artificial ingredients. This allows you to set a low price for the final product and have no doubt: people will buy without thinking about the naturalness of the ingredients and, as a result, about the health benefits and harm to the figure.

"Nefis" is one of the very few Russian manufacturers of high-quality and healthy "natural sauces" without the addition of "chemistry". Yes, Mr.Ricco ketchups and mayonnaises are not the cheapest, but both the taste and the quality justify the price.

When choosing ketchup for a barbecue or mayonnaise for a salad, you need to carefully study the composition: no starch means “natural”. Or you can take Mr. Ricco without hesitation - all sauces of this brand are definitely made without the addition of starch and "chemistry", as we were convinced during the reporting and tasting of the product.

What is called, note to the hostess: how to distinguish “natural ketchup” from “starch ketchup”? It is enough to conduct a simple experiment. Complex equipment is not required: a teaspoon of ketchup, an empty cup or glass, some water and a few drops of ordinary iodine, as well as a syringe or pipette.

The essence of the experiment is simple: as you know, reacting with iodine, starch acquires a bright blue hue. So we take some ketchup, add water. The difference is already noticeable - pectin-based ketchup dissolves in water, and starch-based ketchup sits at the bottom of the glass with a tight cork.

After adding water with a pipette or syringe, we drip iodine into the glasses.

As you can see, Mr.Ricco natural ketchup does not enter into any reactions - there is no starch in the composition, there is nothing to react to iodine. Red ketchup + brown iodine = dark red ketchup.

A much more interesting transformation occurs with starch ketchup. Ketchup almost instantly turns blue-black, only the sediment adhering to the bottom retains its red color.

A simple experiment from the elementary organic chemistry course will help expose unscrupulous manufacturers who do not indicate the presence of starch in their products. With the help of iodine, starch can be detected not only in ketchup and mayonnaise, but also in dairy products (yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese) and even in sausages.

Click the button to subscribe to How It's Made!

Tomato paste is the basis of ketchup. These days, Heinz ketchup production actually starts with seeds. Heinz Seed provides farmers with about six billion traditionally bred tomato seeds each year, and we only make ketchup from what these farmers grow. Ketchup requires fruits with very meaty flesh and low moisture content, which provides the necessary thickness without the addition of starch and other thickeners. In most cases, we work with family-owned businesses who have been growing tomatoes for us for decades. For Russian production and for other plants located in Europe, tomatoes are grown in Spain and Portugal. So far, we do not have an established scheme for growing tomatoes with Russian agricultural enterprises.

The fruits are processed by our partners, global tomato paste companies. I'm afraid that their names will not say anything to ordinary consumers. Boiling tomatoes and evaporating excess moisture, they get a paste. It is packed in aseptic, fully sealed containers, and in this form it can be easily transported and stored without degrading the quality of the product and without adding preservatives.

All pasta is selected to meet our standards. We control one and a half dozen parameters that are spelled out in the specification: color, taste, dry matter content, microbiological parameters, heavy metal content, and so on. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose specific parameters - they are a trade secret.

spice extracts

Extracts are obtained from spicy herbs, hot peppers and vegetables grown in ecologically clean places using the extraction method (as well as natural perfumes). For ketchup, we use extracts of spices and vegetables, because the weather conditions, the place where they are grown, and the time they were harvested greatly affect the taste. It is almost impossible to achieve a stable taste of ketchup in each batch using natural spices: each of their crops is unique. In addition, extracts are safer in terms of such parameters as heavy metals, radionuclides, and microbiology. There is still, for example, the risk that the spices have been processed with a prohibited dye of the Sudan group (it can be used to process paprika and hot red pepper). Which extracts we use is a secret. We disclose only one ingredient, celery, because it is an allergen.

Salt and sugar

Salt and sugar are the ingredients that provide ketchup with the necessary flavor balance. They also, in combination with vinegar, naturally preserve the product - as in home preparations. We use ordinary edible table salt of the "Extra" category and ordinary granulated sugar.

Vinegar

Vinegar is responsible for the taste balance and for such an important indicator as the pH level necessary for the resistance of the product to bacteria. In the production of ketchup, we use only vinegar obtained from natural raw materials by natural fermentation.

Water

Water is used to dilute the tomato paste to the desired consistency. We use water that has gone through a multi-stage purification system.

How ketchup is made

The ketchup production cycle is a closed, sealed automated system. It allows you to produce up to 100 kg of ketchup per minute. After checking to our standards, all ingredients are loaded into a mixing vessel. After mixing, the product is examined in the laboratory. It must confirm its compliance with the specification: solids content, pH, and so on. (In all, there are about 75 different checks in total from the end of the harvest to the time the ketchup is in the bottle.)

Then the ketchup goes through the pasteurization stage, after which it is fed into the homogenizer - an apparatus that grinds all the ketchup components, ensuring uniformity and thick texture. The next step is to quickly cool the ketchup. It, together with pasteurization, is one of the factors that ensures the stability of the product during storage.

Our ketchup in different packages - glass and plastic - is the same: it is made according to the same recipe and on the same technological equipment. But they have different expiration dates, which depend on the barrier properties of the packaging. In glass, they are wonderful, and the shelf life in it is longer. But now glass packaging is becoming less popular among consumers: it is heavier and less convenient to use than plastic bottles and doy-packs (plastic bags). But in them, the shelf life of the product is somewhat lower.

"Baltimore tomato"

Galina Fedorova, R&D Technologist, Unilever:

“The birthplace of ketchup is China. Previously, there were no tomatoes in it, the basis of the sauce was mushrooms, crushed anchovies and nuts, sometimes beans and garlic were added to it, and wine was usually the basis. Once in England, ketchup hit the spot and quickly spread throughout Europe.

In England, the sauce was called catchup or ketchup. The seasoning was to the taste of the inhabitants of Europe and quickly spread across the continent. The United States is considered the birthplace of modern tomato-based ketchup. The Americans have significantly improved the Asian and European technologies for making the sauce.

The Baltimore brand appeared in St. Petersburg in 1995. The name is connected with the geographical position of the city: it stands on the Baltic Sea.

tomato paste

The main component of ketchup. Made from fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes contain lycopene, a substance that is responsible for the rich red color, and is also a strong antioxidant that significantly reduces the risk of developing cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Scientific studies have found that when tomatoes are heated for 15 minutes, the content of lycopene increases by one and a half times compared to raw fruits. We use tomato paste from European manufacturers. It is made from tomatoes grown in accordance with Unilever's sustainability and quality of life plan. This program allows to increase the level of social responsibility of suppliers, as well as reduce the impact on the environment by increasing soil fertility and reducing water consumption for irrigation through the introduction of an innovative irrigation system.

Water

Water determines the consistency of ketchup, affects the appearance, taste and stability of the product during storage. We use water that has passed a three-stage purification system.

Glucose fructose syrup

The component that gives the product a sweet taste. The syrup is made on the basis of natural grain raw materials (wheat) and differs from ordinary sugar both in the level of sweetness (syrup is 1.4 times less sweet than sugar) and in the carbohydrate composition - the ratio of monosaccharides in the syrup is almost the same as in bee honey ( 58–56% glucose and 42–44% fructose).

Sweetener saccharin (sodium salt)

Saccharin is much sweeter than sugar, which allows it to be used in smaller amounts than sugar. In addition, the product becomes less caloric. Saccharin has no nutritional properties, is not absorbed by the body and is excreted from it unchanged. A product containing this supplement can be consumed by people with diabetes. Saccharin has sodium, potassium and calcium salts. We use sodium saccharin.

table vinegar

Vinegar with 9% acetic acid concentration. It is used both to give the ketchup an appropriate taste and for the microbiological stability of the product: the use of vinegar is one of the oldest methods of preservation. The action of vinegar is based on lowering the pH of the product and is directed mainly against bacteria.

E1442 (hydroxypropylated distarch phosphate)

This is the nomenclature name for one of the types of modified starch. There is a misconception that modified starch is obtained from genetically modified raw materials. It is actually a common food starch that has been modified by special (non-DNA-editing) processing to give it special properties, such as thermal and mechanical resistance. E1442 is a thickener. It is used to give the product the right consistency: without it, ketchup would look like tomato juice.

slices of tomatoes

Used to give ketchup a more pronounced tomato flavor. Ketchup "Baltimore Tomato" is the only ketchup with tomato pieces on the Russian market.

Salt

Salt is another ancient preservative. In addition, it gives the product a richer taste. It is very important not to oversalt ketchup, otherwise the salt will kill the taste of all other ingredients. Excessive content of this product is harmful to health, so we are guided by the WHO recommendations for daily salt intake, which is a maximum of 5 grams per day.

Black pepper

It is used as a spicy-flavoring ingredient: it adds piquancy to the product.

Mass fraction of soluble solids not less than 18%

This is a qualitative indicator, on the basis of which - also taking into account the mass fraction of soluble solids introduced with tomato products - ketchups are divided into categories. The higher the share, the higher the ketchup category. The value “At least 18%” corresponds to the first category, that is, this is a fairly high indicator.

Glass container or plastic

"Baltimore Tomato" is packaged in glass bottles (530 grams) and soft doypacks (330 grams). Glass is the optimal type of packaging that allows the buyer to immediately evaluate the appearance and quality of the product and keeps the product for the longest possible period of time. But it also has disadvantages: a lot of weight and fragility. Therefore, we also use an alternative type of packaging - doy-pack - from a multilayer metallized film. Doypack not only simplifies logistics, but also reduces the use of plastic to a minimum.”

Why is Sushi Wok telling you about ketchup? Because for the first time this sauce was made in China. The recipe that formed the basis of the modern dish has almost nothing to do with what is sold in stores today. And its taste would hardly please anyone who has tried ketchup at least once. From the moment of its appearance to the present day, tomato sauce has traveled around the world, has undergone major changes under the influence of national traditions and tastes, but continues to occupy a leading position in the ranking of the most sought-after and popular sauces in the world.

Composition of classic ketchup

Ketchup is synonymous with tomato sauce. Cooking it correctly from ripe fleshy tomatoes is the basis of the basics. And what corrects the taste and gives tomato puree piquancy is only additives. These include salt, pepper, vinegar, and in some cases sugar.

Depending on the method of use, combination with certain ingredients, it is allowed to add to ketchup and other seasonings. It can be citric acid, black pepper, red, jalapeno, chili, ginger, cinnamon, onion, garlic, celery, cloves, mustard seeds, nutmeg, bay leaf. Exclusively natural and natural ingredients.

It is this ketchup that is meant when they start talking about the benefits of tomato sauce, medicinal properties and the possibility of using it for baby food. What is sold today in stores, a recipe put into mass production, cannot be called a classic and healthy sauce.

The composition of ketchup in store packaging

Most ketchup from the store is not ketchup. That is, the main ingredient - tomatoes - may not be there at all. Quite often, cheap ketchup-like products are prepared from any available puree or substances replacing them. For these purposes can be used:

• Vegetable puree (not tomato);
• Plum puree;
• Applesauce.

Also, tomatoes can be present in the composition of the sauce only nominally, so that you can write about it. Their inclusion in the recipe in the amount of 15% of the total volume will not make the sauce better. But to give the desired consistency and even density, starch is more likely to be added to such a sauce.

The following indicators of not the best product are preservatives, stabilizers and flavorings in the composition. If the sauce is not made from tomatoes, dyes are added to it. Therefore, today the expression "tomato ketchup" is not at all a speech error and a tautology.

History of ketchup

The first ketchup was not made from tomatoes, but from fish. They were treated in Fujian province, and also served to Europeans in Canton. Ge-tsup tasted very unusual, but quite interesting. So the British brought the recipe home to try and reproduce it. But it turned out to be very difficult to get canonical ingredients, so experiments began.

As a result of experiments with anchovies, beer, mushrooms, walnuts, Worcester sauce was born, which still exists. Tomatoes were added first as a condiment. They were not eaten, considering them poisonous fruits. Recognition took place in 1830, after which the first version of ketchup appeared, close to today's familiar recipes.

However, ketchup could be truly tasty, fragrant and healthy only if it was prepared at home. The product that was sold in stores in the second half of the 19th century was simply deadly in 90% of cases.

First batch production of tomato sauce

The tomato season lasted only 2-3 months. Only from July to October it was possible to get fresh fruits. It was impossible to store them longer, so factories and concerns went to various tricks and sophistications: they made mashed potatoes from tomatoes, tried to keep it for future use until the next season.

The lack of a proven technology, state control, and accepted standards led to a real disaster. During storage, the blanks of mashed potatoes became moldy, fermented, bacteria started in them. In the struggle for the presentation, boric, benzoic and salicylic acid, formalin, coal tar were added to the mass. The dishes in which the future ketchup was boiled were made of copper and reacted with the contents. 90% of commercial ketchup in the middle of the 19th century contained deadly substances, the use of which could lead to serious illness and death.

The most famous ketchup in the world

It is produced under the Heinz brand. Henry Heinz was the first manufacturer to focus on product quality and strict adherence to recipes and technology. Against the backdrop of the sorting that was littered with store shelves, his sauce was really tasty and healthy.

Today, Heinz remains the leading manufacturer of ketchup and a whole line of other sauces. True, they did not succeed in completely abandoning preservatives.

Incredible facts about ketchup

Like any dish that has its own history, respect and honor in many countries of the world, ketchup boasts its own portfolio of amazing myths and facts. The most incredible of them:

• There is a monument to ketchup in the world. This form was given to the old water tower. It is located in Collinsville, Illinois and is 58 meters high.

• Ketchup is like fine wine. The taste of sauce from the same manufacturer will vary from batch to batch. It depends on the characteristics of the harvested crop;
• Ketchup is included in the grocery basket, which is delivered by an astronaut to the ISS. NASA allowed it to be included in the list of products;
• Ketchup can be eaten by pregnant women and children. We are talking about natural or homemade tomato sauce;
• According to statistics, each person consumes about 3 bottles of sauce per year. At the same time, children on average eat ketchup 50% more than adults;
• Tomato sauce is a source of antioxidants;
• To get sauce from a glass bottle, it is useless to knock on the bottom. This will make it run even slower. To achieve the desired result, you just need to shake the container.

What to eat with ketchup and what dish to add it to - decide for yourself. Every country has its own habits. The most common and acceptable combinations for Russians are pasta, meat, fast food and pizza. In China, it is traditionally served with rice and fish, in America it is often eaten for breakfast, and in Holland, tomato sauce is not added to hamburgers, hot dogs, or served with french fries. The only thing that the world community of gourmets unanimously agreed on was the issue of tomato ice cream. The vast majority didn't like it.

Today, the basis of almost any store-bought ketchup is concentrated tomato paste. Tomatoes (fruits with fleshy pulp and low moisture content) are ground, boiled for a long time to remove excess liquid and get a thick product. Then they are packed and sent to specialized factories where ketchup is produced. Some manufacturers sin by adding modified starch and other thickeners, chemical stabilizers for greater density.

spice extracts- they are obtained from herbs, chili peppers and vegetables. The extraction method is similar to the production of perfumes, so factories try to achieve the same taste regardless of the batch of product (so that the taste is the same in each pack). At home, of course, it is better and healthier to use natural spices and fresh vegetables from the garden. So you will be 100% sure that it does not contain any flavors or dyes!

Salt, sugar- they give the sauce the right taste balance, and in combination with vinegar they play the role of a preservative, that is, they are responsible for the safety of the product. Ideally, use regular table salt (non-iodized) and white sugar. But again, in the composition you can often find glucose-fructose syrup or a sweetener such as saccharin.

Vinegar- acid regulates the taste balance and prolongs the shelf life of the product. Many manufacturers do not use naturally fermented vinegar, but chemically synthesized vinegar and lactic acid.

Water- it is added in production to dilute tomato paste to the desired consistency. For a homemade product, water is not required if you cook from natural tomatoes, but on the contrary, it will need to be evaporated until the desired density is reached.

Now that you know what ketchup is made of, let's get down to business - choose the recipe you like and prepare the most delicious natural tomato sauce so that you can eat it without fear for your health and safely give it to children!

Tomato ketchup for the winter - step by step photos

Homemade tomato ketchup is similar to store-bought ketchup both in taste and texture. This is a classic universal sauce, without pronounced spiciness, sweetish, with a delicate aroma of spices. It is suitable for any dish: barbecue, vegetables, pasta, etc. You can cook for one meal, immediately to the table or roll up a couple of jars of fragrant ketchup for the winter.

Total time: 120 minutes | Cooking time: 90 minutes
Yield: 2 l | Calories: 34.14

Ingredients

• tomatoes - 4 kg
• onions - 2 pcs. (130 g)
• garlic - 3 teeth (15 g)
• sugar - 100-150 g
• salt - 2 tbsp. l. or to taste
• vinegar 9% - 50-70 g
• red ground pepper - 0.5 tsp.
• ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp.
• ground cinnamon - 0.5 tsp.
• cloves - 3 pcs.

Cooking

Rinse tomatoes, drain excess water. Cut large fruits in half so that they pass into the bell of the meat grinder. If there are any spoiled places, then cut them off along the way. Peel onions and garlic.



Pass all prepared vegetables through a meat grinder with a large grate. The electric meat grinder can complete the task in 5 minutes. You will end up with a full 5 liter pot (choose a wide one so that the moisture boils away quickly).



Put the pot on the fire and wait until it boils. Cook for 1 hour with a slight gurgle - without a lid, so that the moisture leaves, stir from time to time. It is not necessary to remove the foam, it will boil off on its own. During this time, the color of the tomato puree should become darker, and the skins should boil down, give their taste to the liquid.



Grind the slightly cooled puree through a fine metal sieve - in small portions, helping yourself with a spoon. Throw away the cake (seeds and peel), the waste should be no more than a glass. Try to grind efficiently so that as much of the thick as possible remains in the pan, then the ketchup will turn out thick, and not liquid, like water.



Return the saucepan with the resulting vegetable juice back to the fire. Cook for another 1 hour, without a lid, at a low boil, stirring from time to time so as not to burn. Ketchup should be reduced to about half its original volume (if you want to get an even thicker product, then boil even longer).



Add sugar, salt, as well as spices: cinnamon, red and black pepper, cloves (then you will need to throw away the umbrellas, so you can wrap it in a gauze bag if you don’t want to catch it later). Cook for 20 minutes, stirring.



Pour in 9% table vinegar - in small portions, the amount is determined depending on the degree of sweetness of the tomatoes to taste (you may need to add more sugar). After the vinegar has been poured, boil the ketchup for no longer than 10 minutes. Throw away the cloves. Pour hot ketchup into sterilized containers, roll up immediately.

Turn the workpiece upside down and leave it in this position until it cools.

Store homemade preserves in a cool place.

Ketchup without vinegar

This is a very simple no-vinegar tomato sauce recipe that is easy to make at home. There are no preservatives in the composition, and the safety of the workpiece is ensured by lemon juice and sterilization. Such a product is suitable for people on a diet and those who adhere to proper nutrition, and it can also be given even to small children.

• pureed tomatoes - 500 ml
• onion - 40 g
• garlic - 1-2 teeth.
• salt - 1/2 tsp.
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l.
• sweet peas - 1 pc.
• cloves - 1-2 buds
• ground black pepper - 1/3 tsp.
• ground cinnamon - 1 chip.
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l.

Grind tomatoes, onions and garlic through a meat grinder (you can first scald the tomatoes and remove the skin, but this is optional) to get 500 ml of tomato pulp. Add all the listed spices. Cook for 30 minutes. After half an hour, pour salt, sugar and squeeze lemon juice. Boil for another 5 minutes. Ketchup is ready! It remains to take out the cloves and allspice, cool and you can immediately serve.

The sauce can be stored for up to 7 days (in a clean container in the refrigerator). If you want to prepare ketchup without vinegar for the winter, then pour it into jars. Immerse in a pot of hot water and sterilize for 15 minutes, roll up turnkey, turn over the preservation, wrap and store after cooling.

Tomato ketchup for the winter with apples

The sauce with tomatoes and apples is thick thanks to the pectin found in the fruit. For cooking, it is better to take sweet and sour apples (for example, Semerenko). It is puree-like in consistency, with a light fruity aroma and a barely noticeable sourness.

• apples - 300 g
• tomatoes - 1 kg
• hot pepper - 1 pc. optional
• garlic - 1 tooth.
• a mixture of ground peppers - 1/3 tsp.
• sugar - 2-3 tbsp. l.
• salt - 1 tbsp. l. or to taste
• parsley and dill - optional

Wash the tomatoes, make an incision on top with a “cross”, scald with hot water for 5 minutes, and then peel off the upper skin. Peel the core of the apples. Skip the apples along with the tomatoes through a meat grinder. Pour the resulting puree into a saucepan, add salt and sugar, cook for half an hour, stirring occasionally. Punch with an immersion blender - the mass will become puree. Add a little chopped greens and garlic, a mixture of peppers and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into jars (sterilized), twist, turn over and sue under a thick blanket. Store in a cool pantry.

Tomato and bell pepper ketchup

A simple recipe for thick homemade ketchup with bell peppers and onions. It has a richer and more spicy taste than the classic sauce, there is a sharpness. Ideal for barbecues!

• tomatoes - 500 g
• red bell pepper - 500 g
• sugar - 20 g
• salt - 12 g
• vegetable oil - 30 ml
• onion - 30 g
• garlic - 3-4 teeth.
• hot ground pepper - to taste

Peel all the vegetables (peel the skin from the tomatoes, if desired), cut into medium cubes. Heat oil in a saucepan or heavy bottomed pan, sauté the onion. Add cubes of tomatoes and peppers, simmer until soft, 10-15 minutes. Punch with an immersion blender, adding garlic. Return the puree back to the fire, add salt, sugar and hot pepper, cook for 7-8 minutes. Pour into clean jars and sterilize in a saucepan with water - 15 minutes. After roll up, cover with a "fur coat", leave upside down until cool.

How to make ketchup from tomato paste

A delicious sauce can be prepared without even having fresh tomatoes in the bins. You will need a thick, ready-made tomato paste without additives - you will add them all yourself. This sauce is prepared to be eaten immediately. But if you want to cook it not at once, but to make more servings, then store it in this case in the refrigerator.

• tomato paste - 200 g
• onions - 0.5 pcs.
• allspice peas - 2 pcs.
• red pepper - 0.5 pod
• garlic - 1 tooth.
• flower honey - 1 tsp
• vegetable oil - 1-2 tbsp. l.
• balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.
• salt - to taste

Chop the onion into cubes, chop the garlic with a knife. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry them until softened. Add chili pepper (amount to taste), tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, honey, and pepper, pounded in a mortar. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring all the time, season with salt to taste. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Cool down and serve.