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Conventional and Alternative Methods for Tomato Peeling

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Abstract

Peeling is one of the most important unit operations in tomato processing. Most recently, three novel tomato peeling methods were reported: infrared, ohmic heating and power ultrasound. Steam/hot water and lye peeling have been the most commercialized methods, but compared to steam peeling, lye peeling is more preferred and has gained widespread application among processors due to its association with higher product yields and better product quality. However, with the ever-tightening environmental protection laws, concerns have arisen in the recent years regarding lye usage as well as its disposal, which calls for alternative chemical-free peeling methods that can effectively peel the tomato while minimizing peeling losses and improving product quality. This review highlights the conventional methods used in tomato peeling, their efficacy and the potential applications of infrared, ohmic heating and power ultrasonics as a novel technology for tomato peeling.

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Acknowledgments

Authors Rock, Yang, Goodrich-Schneider and Feng would like to thank Dr. Zhongli Pan, Dept. of the Biological and Agricultural Engineering, UC Davis, Ms. Julie Pleasance, Translation Manager, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Mr. Jeff Dahl and Mr. N’gai Merrill, Global Marketing Manager-Canning Systems, for their contributions to this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, 359 FSHN Building Newell Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0370, USA

    Cheryl Rock, Wade Yang & Renée Goodrich-Schneider

  2. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Hao Feng

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  1. Cheryl Rock
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  2. Wade Yang
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  3. Renée Goodrich-Schneider
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  4. Hao Feng
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Correspondence to Wade Yang.

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Rock, C., Yang, W., Goodrich-Schneider, R. et al. Conventional and Alternative Methods for Tomato Peeling. Food Eng Rev 4, 1–15 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12393-011-9047-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12393-011-9047-3

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