The standards and specifications for the quality and composition of to
mato concentrates are reviewed. The main quality parameters of tomato
puree and paste are color, consistency and flavor. Overall, there is a
n absence of standardization of methods and instruments to define qual
ity. While color can now be measured objectively, there are currently
no standard color requirements for tomato concentrates. Rheological me
asurements on both tomato juice and concentrates are reviewed; the pow
er law finds wide applicability, although other rheological characteri
stics, particularly time dependency, have received far less attention
and there has been little effort to relate rheological understanding t
o the commonly used empirical tests such as consistency measurements.
The volatiles responsible for flavor and odor have been identified to
the point where the natural odor of tomato paste can be imitated. Atte
mpts to develop objective methods as a substitute for sensory assessme
nt are reviewed.