Aseptic Tomato Paste: Brix, Hot Break, Cold Break and Industrial Buying Guide
Aseptic tomato paste is an important industrial ingredient used by manufacturers of sauces, ketchup, soups, ready meals and tomato-based food preparations.
According to Codex CXS 57-1981, processed tomato concentrate is produced by concentrating juice or pulp obtained from sound, mature red tomatoes, removing most skins, seeds and coarse material, and preserving the product by physical means.
For industrial buyers, however, the words “tomato paste” are not enough to define the required product.
Brix is one of the key commercial specifications
Industrial tomato paste is commonly traded by concentration grade.
A buyer therefore needs to state the required soluble-solids specification rather than requesting generic tomato paste.
For Juicerfo product pages, specifications such as 28–30° Brix and 36–38° Brix should only be advertised when these are genuine available commercial grades supported by the relevant TDS.
Hot Break vs Cold Break
One of the most important technical distinctions is the break process.
Research on tomato processing shows that hot-break processing can inactivate pectinolytic enzymes more effectively and is associated with a higher-viscosity paste.
Cold-break processing uses a different heat-treatment profile and can produce different viscosity and sensory characteristics.
This means the correct choice should be driven by application performance.
A ketchup or thick sauce producer may have different consistency requirements from a processor using paste as the base for a more fluid tomato product.
Colour and consistency also matter
Brix tells the buyer how concentrated the product is, but it does not describe the full commercial quality.
A procurement specification may therefore also include colour, Bostwick or other consistency measures, pH, acidity, microbiology and defect limits.
The required parameters should reflect the intended manufacturing process rather than an arbitrary universal specification.
Why aseptic packaging is used
Industrial tomato paste is frequently supplied in aseptic bags placed inside drums or other protective bulk containers.
The purpose is to combine commercial processing with a packaging environment designed to protect the processed product before opening.
The exact storage temperature, shelf life and handling requirements still need to be confirmed from the manufacturer’s product documentation.
“Aseptic” should never be interpreted as permission to ignore storage instructions.
What should a buyer request?
A professional quotation should identify the required Brix, break type, consistency requirement, packaging, net weight, quantity, destination country and application.
The buyer should also request the applicable TDS and a batch or representative COA before commercial approval.
Buyer takeaway
Choosing tomato paste only by price per tonne is risky.
A lower-priced product that does not deliver the required viscosity, colour or process performance may be more expensive once it reaches production.
For industrial sourcing, Brix + break type + consistency + quality documentation + packaging should be evaluated together.