Evening journal., 1921-05-31
TOMATO Waste
IS RECLAIMED
Oil From Thousands of
Tons of Seed Saved by
Scientists
OF VALUE AS
FOOD FOR STOCK

Nearly every pulping factory in the
country has a mountain OF waste
tomato seed. One-two-hundredth of
every bushel Of tomatoes is seed. This
doesn't seem very important con-
cerning an item which always has
been considered waste. but when
every manufacturer Of catsup. pulp.
soup paste and sauce has several
hundred tons Of it and scientists un-
expectedly discover that two valuable
commercial products can be made
from it, the world at large is inter-
ested. Fixed oil and press cake or
meal are the latest additions TO the
products useful TO humanity saved by
specialists of the United states De-
partment of Agriculture from huge
piles Of so-called waste. In the
larger manufactures in the Eastern
and Mid-Western tomato belts more
than 100000 tons Of tomatoes are
pulped annually. The waste seeds
from these large stations alone totals
more than 1000 tons
Men still young. says the depart
ment, remember when millers were
prosecuted. for dumping bran into
rivers or streams. People declared
that il poisoned the fish. but science
learned that It has a high food value
for man or beast so that the man
who threw bran into a stream to-
day would be very likely TO land in
Jail. Tomato seed is just another
product saved, like bran. for inn
portant uses.
The first important step in MAX
ing the new products is 10 separate
the seed from the wet waste. Sew
eral methods may be used. but the
specialists find that the most practi-
cable method is to equip the ordi-
nary syclone pulping machine now In
use In most factories. with a fine
mesh woven screen made Of No. / 2
wire. The mesh is just large enough
TO admit the passage OF the seeds
and these flow out of the machine
in a continuous stream, while the
cores and skins Of the fruit are dis
charged through the gate as usual
The stream Of seed and pulp is thcr
pumped into an adjoining cyclone
machine having an ordinary twenty
mesh breaker screen.
The pulp and juice pass through
this mesh, but the seed is retained
and passes out through the gate
The operation involves no increas'
Of labor, and is continuous and eff
cient. Experience with this methol
for more than two seasons at the Ar.
iington Experimental Farm at Wash
ington. ID. c.. has proved its effect
ivcncss.
After the seed has been separate,
from the wet waste 10 is washed an,
dried, and is then ready for the oil
extracting process. Two methods o
oil extraction can be uscd-pressur
and solvent extraction. Pressed oi
is obtained by mechanical presses
and commands slightly highe
price in the market than the oi
which is extracted by chemical sol
vent processes.
The tomato-seed oil obtained b.
the eXpcller process is deep brown
and has a strong odor. 1t is refined
iloached and deodorized by the usua
methods. and is then comparable fl
quality with the common edible oil
cf commerce.
The value of oil cake or meal a
stock food has been demonstrated ID
italy, where the utilization Of TO
mato waste Is in practical operation
An analysis of the meal shows tn
following composition: Moistur,
It's per cent; ash, asa per cent.
protein, 81 per cent; nitrogen-fre
extract, 29.1 per cent. and fibre 22.
per cent. This analysis gives tomato
seed meal a favorable footing wit
some of the better-known seed meal
Of commerce. 1t may be used as foo
for cattle, hogs or chickens. IL ha
a slightly bitter taste, which Is mask
ed when mixed with other food.
Owing to the fact that the vast
from a single factory would max
the profits TO be derived from in
stalling a complete manufacturin
system hazardous, it would seem ad
visable TO organize a central plan
at which all the waste seed from
number of pulping stations could D.
handled. The specialists who hav
been studying the process for the De
partment of Agriculture suggest IN
possibility of a cooperative plan G
manufacture by an association
,anners and packers.