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Hot break and cold break are two ways of heating crushed tomatoes before they are concentrated into paste. In hot break, the crushed tomatoes are heated quickly to 85–102 °C. This stops the enzymes that break down pectin, so the paste stays thick. In cold break, they are heated to below 70 °C. The enzymes work for longer, and the paste is more fluid at the same Brix. Choose hot break when a sauce needs body, and cold break when the paste has to pump, fill or dilute easily.
This guide explains what happens in each process, how the difference shows up in a specification, and which one fits which product.
What "break" means
After washing and sorting, tomatoes are crushed. Crushing releases two enzymes, pectin methylesterase (PME) and polygalacturonase (PG), which start to break down pectin: the natural fibre that gives tomato products their body.
The "break" is the heating step straight after crushing. Its temperature decides how much pectin survives. A 2021 study in the journal Foods describes cold break as heating below 70 °C and hot break as heating at 85–102 °C.
Because the break comes before evaporation, it fixes the consistency of the paste long before it reaches its final Brix. Two pastes can have exactly the same Brix and still behave very differently in a sauce, depending on how they were broken.
Hot break and cold break side by side
| Hot break | Cold break | |
|---|---|---|
| Break temperature | 85–102 °C | Below 70 °C |
| Pectin-splitting enzymes | Stopped | Partly active for a while |
| Pectin kept | More | Less |
| Consistency at the same Brix | Thicker | More fluid |
| TOMEX example at 28–30% Brix | Hot Break: Bostwick 3.0–4.5 cm/30s | Grade B: Bostwick 5.0–7.0 cm/30s |
| Typical uses | Ketchup that needs body, pizza sauce, barbecue and thick sauces | Retail cans and jars, repacking, food service, paste for dilution |
The enzyme figures come from the same 2021 study. After 10 minutes at 90 °C, no PME or PG activity was left. After 10 minutes at 65 °C, about 32% of the PME activity and 61% of the PG activity remained.
What the Bostwick numbers tell you
Consistency is usually measured with a Bostwick consistometer: the paste flows along a graduated trough for 30 seconds, and the distance it travels is read in centimetres. A lower reading means a thicker paste.
At the same 28–30% Brix, TOMEX Hot Break reads 3.0–4.5 cm/30s, while Grade B, a cold break paste, reads 5.0–7.0 cm/30s. The difference comes from the break, not from the concentration. Grade A, a cold break triple concentrate at 36–38% Brix, reads 3.5–5.5 cm/30s.
Compare Bostwick figures only when they were measured the same way. Buyer specifications often state the conditions; a World Food Programme specification, for example, sets 4–11 cm/30s measured at 12 Brix and 30 °C. Check the method on the Certificate of Analysis before you compare two suppliers.
When to choose hot break
Hot break suits products where the paste has to give body by itself:
- Ketchup that needs body, where the thickness should come from the tomato rather than from starch.
- Pizza sauce, barbecue sauce and thick table sauces.
- Homogenised products. A process bulletin from equipment maker SPX notes that homogenised products made from cold-break paste separate severely, and recommends hot-break paste for any tomato product that will be homogenised.
Because the thickness comes from the tomato's own pectin, a recipe based on hot break paste can use less added starch or thickener, or none.
When to choose cold break
Cold break suits uses where a fluid paste is an advantage:
- Filling and repacking. A more fluid paste pumps, fills and portions easily, which is why TOMEX Grade B is the usual paste for tins and sachets.
- Food service and general food processing, where the paste is used close to its delivered strength.
- Dilution. TOMEX Grade A, a cold break triple concentrate, is the usual base for ketchup makers who reconstitute it to their own recipe Brix.
Heat also affects some nutrients: in the 2021 study, vitamin C was lower after the 90 °C break than after the 65 °C break.
How to specify the break on an order
When you ask for a quotation, state:
- The break: hot break (HB) or cold break (CB).
- The Brix: 28–30% or 36–38%.
- The Bostwick range, with the measuring method you use.
- The colour value: in aseptic drums, TOMEX supplies all three grades in colour values 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1.
- The pack: TOMEX Hot Break is supplied in 230 kg aseptic drums; other packs are available as private label on request.
The safest way to choose is to test both pastes in your own recipe. A sample comes with its Certificate of Analysis, so your QA team can compare the Brix and Bostwick with its own results.
Next step
Request a sample of Hot Break and Grade B to compare them in your recipe, or request a quote.
Related pages: TOMEX Hot Break tomato paste, 28–30% Brix double concentrate, 230 kg aseptic drums and our guide to tomato paste shelf life and storage.
Figures and sources checked on 10 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is hot break tomato paste better than cold break?
Neither is better in general. Hot break gives a thicker paste for sauces that need body; cold break gives a more fluid paste that pumps, fills and dilutes easily. Choose by the product you make.
Can I tell hot break from cold break by the Brix?
No. Both can have the same Brix. The difference shows in the consistency: at 28–30% Brix, TOMEX Hot Break reads 3.0–4.5 cm/30s on the Bostwick test, against 5.0–7.0 cm/30s for Grade B, a cold break paste.
Why does a sauce made from cold break paste sometimes separate?
In cold break, enzymes break down more of the pectin before they are stopped. Without that pectin, homogenised products made from cold-break paste tend to separate, which is why hot break is recommended for them.
Which TOMEX grades are hot break and which are cold break?
Hot Break (28–30% Brix) is hot break. Grade A (36–38% Brix) and Grade B (28–30% Brix) are cold break.
Does the break change the colour I can order?
No. In aseptic drums, TOMEX supplies Hot Break, Grade A and Grade B in the same colour values: 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1.
