A method of solid freezing tomatoes and forming them into solid members free of preservatives and adapted for cutting, shaping and placement into plastic bags. The method includes reducing the ambient temperature of the tomatoes to a freezing temperature of -30.degree. C., cracking the external membrane of the tomatoes by subjecting them to a temperature between 30.degree. C. to 35.degree. C. for a total temperature gradient of .DELTA.T equal to between 60.degree. C. to 65.degree. C. above the freezing temperature, by dipping the tomatoes into backwater supplied from a heat exchanger associated with a cooling device for supplying the low temperature cooling or freezing temperature of -30.degree. C., then peeling the external membrane from the tomatoes and reducing the temperature of the peeled tomatoes again to a freezing temperature.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 796,398 filed May 12, 1977 now abandoned for An Industrial Proceeding for the Production of Frozen Peeled Tomatoes and By-Products.
Tomatoes and other fruit may be processed so as to avoid destroying viscosity inducing components by passing the sliced fruit through a counter current extractor in counter current with an aqueous liquid, the liquid being at a temperature of at least 65.degree. C.; recovering a liquid phase from the lower end of the counter current extractor and a solid phase from the upper end of the extractor; recovering flavour and/or aroma components from the liquid phase; subjecting the solid phase to a finishing process to remove skins and/or seeds therefrom; and dewatering the finished solid phase to increase the viscosity thereof.
Tomato raisins (dried grape tomatoes) and methods of producing raisin tomatoes are described. The method involves (a) removing the skin from a grape tomato to produce a skinless grape tomato; and (b) drying the skinless grape tomato to produce a tomato raisin. The dried, skinless grape tomato has from 8% to about 16% water content.
