Tomato Factories. 5th grade B.

In Santa Amalia we have two great tomato factories: Tomalia and Tomates del Guadiana. Both them process fresh tomatoes, transforming them in concentrated tomato. What happens inside is something amazing: and in this report we are going to know about it:

Tractor pulling a tomato trailer.

Step 1: from the fields to the factory.

Tractors and trucks bring continuously tomato from surrounding fields. Speed is important: once a tomato has been collected, it starts to lose quality and weight. The trailers wait in the factory parking until they are called for unloading.

Step 2:unloading.

Fresh tomatoes are unloaded in big pools, full of water. From there, their travel along the factory starts.

Conveyer belt.

Step 3: washing and sorting.

Tomatoes are driven by a conveyer belt towards the chopping area. At this point they are washed; also rotten and green tomatoes are discarded. Later, they are chopped

Step 4: juice extraction.

Once tomatoes are chopped, it is time to extract the juice. This is done by means of a machine called "screw juicer" (see photo). The idea: to extract the maximum of water for preserving the tomato.

Screw Juicer

Step 5: Sterilization. 

Once the tomato paste is almost with no water, is time to sterilizate. The concentrated tomato is heat over 100 Cº, killing all possible bacteria. 

Step 6: cooling and aseptic filling.

The final step. Tomato is cooled and then introduced in barrels, protected by a plastic bag. All barrels you can see out of the factory are filled with tomato paste, ready for being exported all over the world.