In ketchup are found parts of all the various tissues of the tomato
broken into fine pieces by the action of the cyclone. Although the
sieves take out the seeds, skins, and any large pieces, particles of
the various tissues are present in size sufficient for identification.
Among the distinctive features are the red crystalline bodies in
the parenchyma, which serve to a certain extent to distinguish
the parenchyma from that of other plants which might be used for
adulteration, and serve also to differentiate the natural from the
artificially colored ketchup. Some of the red dye used colors all
protoplasm indiscriminately, even that of the fungi present, and as
a colored ketchup is usually poor stuff, containing many fungi, the
mold filaments, yeast cells, and bacteria receive their share of the
color. Other red dye used is in the form of fine powder, which does not
go into solution, but is distributed as irregular particles which are
distinct from the red crystalline bodies.
Good ketchup made from whole tomatoes has a clean appearance readily
distinguishable under the microscope; but the poor ketchup has usually
a superabundance of fungi present, fully developed colonies of mold,
many forms of conidia, besides yeast-like cells, and different forms
of bacteria. All of these may be dead, but neither preservatives nor
dosage of odorous spices can disguise their presence. In some of the
ketchup examined, which was put up in attractive form and labeled
as being made from the whole tomatoes, and which had the appearance
and odor of good ketchup, the microscope showed the presence of such
quantities of fungi as to leave no doubt that the tomatoes were spoiled
when cooked. It is presumable that some of the dealers placing this
sort of stuff on the market do not know its condition themselves, and
either buy their pulp from other factories or trust its manufacture to
employees whose only care is that the ketchup shall have a bright color
and shall “keep.” Some of the mould filaments and conidia are distorted
in the same way as those of the Penicillium are when grown in ketchup
to which sodium benzoate has been added.
The ketchup made from sound tomatoes and manufactured in a cleanly
manner has practically no fungi present. The ketchup that was used in
these experiments was made at different times during the season and was
of this character, no bottle examined showing mold filaments when first
opened.