Laura Claret Fernández turns inferior tomatoes into something edible

Keep Food Simple decided this had to change. The foundation supports innovative solutions that reduce food waste, and three years ago brought together several parties to take on the tomato problem. Researcher Laura Claret Fernández from HAN BioCentre was appointed to lead the project, joined by the Limburgse Land- en Tuinbouwbond (LLTB) and food producer Kramer Koolmeesters.

 

“These tomatoes are so poor in quality that farmers sometimes don’t even bother to harvest them”, Claret Fernández explains. “Because fermentation is one of our areas of expertise, we helped Keep Food Simple to develop the idea of fermenting the tomatoes with lactic acid bacteria and creating a type of tomato paste. Lactic acid bacteria are already widely used in food, for example in yoghurt, cheese and kimchi. So we know how they work and that they’re safe. Fermented products also have health benefits. Among other things, they contain less sugar.”

The team initially conducted small-scale experiments at the HAN BioCentre laboratory, testing different combinations of lactic acid bacteria. The tests were then gradually scaled up: from tiny 100-millilitre samples to 100-litre buckets at Kramer Koolmeesters.

 

And as usual, experiments led to some memorable scenes. “Some samples continued fermenting even after storing in plastic bottles in the fridge and produced so much gas that the bottles became highly pressurized. Most team members experienced at least one sample exploding during the project. But the director of Kramer had the worst. During an online meeting, one of the samples blew up so badly that he and his entire office ended up covered in tomato paste.” With a smile: “They had to repaint the whole room.”

Fortunately, those slapstick moments were the exception. The team managed to achieve a good result fairly quickly. Claret Fernández recently tried the tomato paste on a burger for the first time. “It had been mixed with aromatic spices. You could still taste a hint of tomato. It was genuinely good.”

 

Kramer Koolmeesters will continue experimenting until they find the right combination of bacteria and flavours, and have a product ready for the market. This is advantageous for them because the tomato season complements the sauerkraut season, which is their primary focus. The name ‘TomaFerm’ has already been registered for the fermented tomato paste by Keep Food Simple. “It could become a standalone product, like a healthier ketchup. Or it could be used as an ingredient for existing products.” In the most optimistic scenario, something could be on supermarket shelves in two years. Claret Fernández: “That would be a great result for a project like this.”

A few steps still need to be taken. For one, Kramer Koolmeesters needs to discuss the supply of inferior tomatoes with growers. “The question is whether it’s financially worthwhile for farmers to spend extra hours harvesting the worst tomatoes.” That lesson became clear during the project: suppliers (in this case growers) must be involved from the outset. “The reality on paper is different from reality in practice. On top of that, farmers and researchers look at things in very different ways. That makes constant communication essential.”

 

Claret Fernández wants to dive deeper into the tomato data in the coming period, to better understand how the bacteria behave in tomatoes. “This knowledge may also prove valuable when applying the technique to other types of fruits and vegetables.” She will also stay involved in the further development of the tomato paste. “At Kramer, they’re used to working with sauerkraut. That process largely relies on bacteria that are naturally present in the cabbage. With tomatoes, they need to guide the bacteria more and work with pure cultures. We’ll continue to support them with that.” 

 

Want to know more about the projects of HAN BioCentre? Check here

 

Photo Manouk Giesen