Ketchup is one of the most popular sauces for chicken and meat dishes, as well as for various sandwiches and side dishes. However, truly high-quality ketchup can be considered if it is really tomato - since today it is increasingly added to various extraneous components, including applesauce.
Apples in ketchup
The base of ketchup is initially fresh tomatoes or tomatoes, which have been rubbed and boiled into a paste. This part of ketchup is most valuable because tomatoes are high in lycopene, a substance with strong anti-cancer properties. However, most modern producers seek to save money on the production of ketchup by adding applesauce to the tomato base. It acts as a thickener and filler due to its natural polysaccharides (pectins), which have the property of thickening products and increasing their shelf life. By using applesauce in ketchup, manufacturers can avoid adding harmful synthetic preservatives to it.
In addition to the above properties, applesauce can significantly reduce the cost of the ketchup production process, since tomatoes are more expensive than apples. As a result, brands are able to increase the volume of production and increase the value of ketchup in the consumer market. GOST does not prohibit such manipulations, allowing the addition of vegetable purees, as well as flavorings, dyes, preservatives, sweeteners and taste stabilizers.
Categories of ketchup
You can find out the composition of ketchup allowed by GOST from the categories indicated on the label. They are divided into four groups: extra, higher, first and second. The higher the specified category, the more tomato base in ketchup and the less various additives in the form of fruit and vegetable purees.
The category "extra" includes the most natural ketchup made from fresh tomatoes, tomato puree or tomato paste, but such products are quite rare. The "highest" category includes ketchups, which are mixed with cheap applesauce and a variety of nutritional supplements. Also, ketchups that do not contain vegetable or fruit puree may be included in the highest category.
The "first" category includes products containing only 6% tomato base, while the popular applesauce and thickeners with additives are quite widespread in it. And finally, the "second" category includes ketchups, to which 4.5% of dry tomato paste is added, and the bulk is made from applesauce. In fact, the products of the second category are an economy class chemical product containing a large number of various food additives that give it a characteristic taste, thick consistency and a bright red tomato color.
