The making of ketchup is simple and the factory arrangement for doing
the work should be as compact as possible, so that after the pulp is
once heated, there is an advantage in having the various steps follow in
succession by gravity rather than be conveyed by pumps, especially in
small plants. The piping should be as short and direct as possible. The
machinery for filling bottles, corking, etc., leaves much to be desired;
as separate units they work fairly well, but there needs to be some
method devised for handling the bottles automatically from the time they
are placed on the washer until they are labeled, ready for the box. At
present the time between turning the crate of tomatoes upon the sorting
belt until it is ready for the box is only slightly over two hours.
Further improvement will not be so much in shortening the time as in
eliminating the hand labor.
The foregoing description applies to the making of unfermented,
non-preservative ketchup, made from sound stock and delivered into the
bottle. Very little ketchup, comparatively speaking, is sold to the
consumer in any package other than the bottle. It can be delivered into
the bottle when first made, at less expense for labor, with less fuel,
and with distinctly less waste than at any subsequent time. It will have
a better color and consistency than if stored in bulk and bottled later.
It is, therefore, advisable to bottle as much as possible at the time it
is made. Ketchup may be packed in bulk in jugs, tin cans, and in
barrels, but not satisfactorily; the jug is a poor package; the enamel
may be dissolved off the tin can and pinholes form; and the barrel
always gives a poor color and off flavor. The best container for bulk
ketchup is the gallon glass bottle.