Start with a defined measurement basis
Whole tomatoes, screened pulp and finished paste are different material streams. Incoming crop contains skins, seeds and variable soluble solids; sorting and pulping remove part of that material before concentration. A quotation based only on tonnes of fruit per hour leaves the actual evaporator feed undefined.
°Brix is a refractometric indicator of soluble solids. It should not be treated as a complete measurement of insoluble solids or as the solids contribution of every ketchup ingredient. Record where each sample was taken and use the same reporting basis at the inlet and outlet.
Use the ideal balance as a starting point
For a no-loss illustration, concentrate mass is feed mass multiplied by inlet solids fraction and divided by outlet solids fraction. The difference is the theoretical water removed. This relationship explains why finished-paste output is smaller than the incoming fruit or refined-pulp rate; it is not a machine guarantee.
Useful production must also account for fruit rejection, separated skins and seeds, product retained in equipment, startup dilution and shutdown recovery. Measure these streams when estimating saleable yield. Crop variability can change the required water-removal duty even when the incoming fruit rate stays constant.
State three capacities in the equipment request
Specify fresh-tomato intake for receiving and preparation, refined-pulp flow for extraction and evaporation, and paste outlet flow for transfer, final heating and filling. Include inlet and target °Brix beside the relevant rate instead of quoting one capacity for every machine.
Compare proposed evaporation performance at the same feed composition, outlet concentration and utility conditions. If a capacity statement omits those conditions, ask for the operating basis before using it in a production forecast. A wider inlet range may require a different control or sizing allowance.
Further detail
Questions about this equipment and process
Is a theoretical solids balance a yield guarantee?
No. The ideal balance excludes rejects, skins, seeds, retained product and startup or shutdown losses. Saleable yield requires actual measured streams.
Which flow should size the evaporator?
Use measured refined feed and the required outlet concentration. Keep fresh-fruit intake, water removal and finished-paste output separate.