[en] The high-water content of tomato predisposes it to spoilage by microorganisms and led producers to carry out traditional processing of tomatoes in the form of pasteurized tomato puree. However, rapid acidification of these traditional tomato purees is often observed. Then, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the essential oil extracted from Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) in the improvement of traditional tomato puree producing technology. Essential oil of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) was extracted by hydro-distillation and its chemical composition was determined by GC and GC/MS.
Different types of traditional tomato puree were produced by the modification of the traditional processing technology and the addition of the essential oil introduction step, followed by manual stirring during the process. Based on previous studies, two different essential oil concentrations (5.0 and 7.5 μL∙g −1) were investigated. Physicochemical, microbiological and nutritional analyzes were performed in order to evaluate the quality of the traditional tomato puree produced. Results obtained revealed that the essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum investigated has a chemical composition characterized by the presence of eugenol (59.11%) and eugenol acetate (33.73%). Good stabilization of
the physicochemical, microbiological and nutritional parameters in traditional tomato puree samples preserved with essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum were observed when compared to control. The essential oil of Clove, with his biological property, offers a novel approach to the management of traditional tomato puree during storage.