"If you want to select the best possible product, its composition should ideally consist of tomato ingredients and salt or citric acid. For packaging that is according to our findings, unfortunately, will not get the information, many tomato product contains, but at least there will not be anything extra. Added water, sugar or starch in a product need not be, "recommends Olga Šlesingrová, editor of dTest.
Tomato puree sold in concentrated and not concentrated form. The difference between them to the naked eye can not identify - consists in a method of manufacture and in the claims that these products puts ordinance. They differ mainly in the mandatory minimum content of the so-called refractive solids introduced tomato raw material. This parameter shows total sugars derived from tomatoes, speaks thus their quantity and quality. While classic thickened puree it must have at least 24%, not concentrated only 4.2%.
Tomatoes from southern countries that receive more sunlight and heat, the sweeter and therefore have a higher refractive solids content. If the manufacturer uses the really ripe tomatoes, can therefore be dosed in a total amount of less. Some manufacturers artificially sweetened purees, which in the laboratory showed the measured difference between the total sugars and sugars only tomatoes.
"The biggest difference we found with the product ADA tomato sauce. Although the total sugar content was 25%, but only 14.8% came from tomatoes. The rest is added to the glucose syrup and starch, which the manufacturer says in the composition. I therefore ended this product in our test last place. Conversely, the highest proportion of tomato contained test winner Mikado tomato paste from Lidl, "says Olga Šlesingrová.
Among puree with "nejrajčatovějšími" proved to be thickened puree Seliko, ah Basic Tomato Paste from Alberta and Otma, which won the best-rated puree overall mark. For unconcentrated puree tomato puree contained most of Globus Passierte toasty.
The test is also focused on the presence of starch. It binds water and serves as a thickener. Extrusions however dense foliage in the concentration process, thus evaporating the water is not therefore necessary to thicken the starch. Added starch contained half the tested pickles and three tested puree. The remaining products without starch show that its use is certainly not necessary.
Tomatoes are quite susceptible to mold infestation. Laboratory tests therefore explored the presence of mycotoxins in products. Fungal toxins can be used by the body in large doses and harmful heating during the production of tomato mixture can not be removed. "The good news is that most of the wanted mycotoxin laboratory did not detect at all. In the products we found only tenuazovou acid, which is a mycotoxin and its toxicity is low. The maximum limit for that substance in food is not defined, "says Šlesingrová.
Source: tz dTest.cz