UNICE standard on the marketing and commercial quality control of
PINEAPPLES
A Draft
EXPLANATORY BROCHURE
NOTE:
Commercial quality standards for agricultural produce are developed and approved by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe through its Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards.
These international standards facilitate trade, encourage high-quality production, improve profitability and protect consumer interests. They are used by Governments, producers, traders, importers and exporters, as well as international organizations.
They cover a wide range of agricultural products, Including fresh fruit and vegetables, dry and dried produce, seed potatoes, meat, cut flowers, eggs and egg products.
The Explanatory Brochure for the Standard for pineapples has been developed to harmonize the interpretation of the Standard, thereby facilitating international as well as national trade. It addresses producers and traders, as well as inspection authorities.
All material may be freely quoted or reprinted, but acknowledgement is requested.
Please contact the following address with any comments or enquiries:
Agricultural Standards Unit, Trade and Timber Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations
CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland
e-mail:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Definition of Produce 6
II.Provisions Concerning Quality 7
III . Provisions Concerning Sizing 16
IV. Provisons Concerning Tolerance 18
V.Provisions Concerning Presentation 21
VI. Provisions Concerning Marking 24
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Definition
of
Produce
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I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
The Standard applies to commercial varieties of pineapples grown from Ananas comosus (L.) Merr., of the Bromeliaceae family, to be supplied fresh to the consumer, after preparation and packaging. Pineapples for ornamental use or industrial processing are excluded.
Interpretation : Pineapples come in a range of shapes and sizes such as the following types: Round, oval and conical.
Examples of this range are shown in Photos 1- 4
Photo-1 connical shaped pineapple
Photo - 2 oval shaped pineapple
Photo -3 round shaped pineapple
Photo -4 varying sizes pineapple
Provisions Concerning
Quality
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II.PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
Standard:
The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements of pineapples at the export control stage, after preparation and packaging.
However, if applied at stages following export, products may show in relation to the requirements of the standard:
ü A slight lack of freshness and turgidity
ü For products graded in classes other than the “Extra” Class, a slight deterioration due to their development and their tendancy to perish.
The holder/seller of the products may not display such products or offer them for sale, or deliver or market them in any manner other than in conformity with this standard. The holder shall be responsible for observing such conformity.
Standard:
A. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the pineapples must be:
- Intact
Interpretation: Pineapples must not have any mutilation or injury spoiling the intergrity of the produce,fresh in appearance, including the crown, which should be free of wilted, dry, loose or damaged leaves.
Examples relating to the minimum requirement “intact” are shown in Photos 5-6
Photo 5 – minimum requirement “intact” mutilation Injury not allowed.
Photo 6 – minimum requirement “intact” rotting not allowed
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Standard:
-Sound, produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded.
Interpretation: Pineapples must be free from disease or serious deterioration, which appreciably affects their apperance, eligibility or market value. In particular , this excludes pineapples affected by rotting, even if the signs are very slight but liable to make the Pineaaples unfit for comsumption upon arrival at their destination.
Pineapples showing the following defects are therefore excluded:
· Severe Bruises
· Diseases
· Damages caused by low temperature or frost
· Physiological defects
Examples relating to the minimum requirement “sound” are shown in Photos 7-11
Standard:
Clean, practically free of any visible foreign matters
Interpratation: Pineapples must be practically free of visible soil , dust, chemical residue or other visible foreign matter.
Examples relating to the minimum requirement “clean” are shown in Photos 12-13
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Standard:
Fresh in apperance and firm
Pineapples showing lack of freshness and discoluration are to excluded
Interpretation: Pineapples should be firm and turgid. Pineapples that have lost firmness and/ or show signs of shrivelling or dehydration are to be excluded.
Examples relating to the minimum requirement “fresh in appearance” are shown in Photos 14-15
Standard:
Free from damage caused by pests affecting the flesh
Interpretation: Pest damage can detract from the general apperance, keeping quality and eliogibilty of pineaaples.
Pineapples should be practically free of insects or other pests . The presence of pests can detract from the commercial presenation and acceptance of the pineapples.
- free of internal browning
- practically free of pests affecting the general appearance of the produce
- practically free of damage caused by pests
- free of pronounced blemishes, in particular unhealed cuts, bruising, scorching, holes, cracks (healed or not)
Examples relating to the minimum requirement “Free from damage caused by pests affecting the flesh” are shown in Photos 16- 21
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Standard:
Free of bitter taste (Subject to special provision for class II- to be specified latter)
Bitterness in pineaaples is influenced by both genetic and enviromental factors.
Standard:
Free of abnormal external moisture
Interpretation: This provision applies to excessive moisture, for example free water lying inside the package but does not include condensation on produce following release from cool storage or refrigerated vehicle.
Standard:
Free from any foreign smell and /or taste
Interpretation: This particulary refers to pineapples which have been stored on badly kept premises or have travelled in an badly maintained vehicle,especially pineapples that have acquired a strong smell from other stored produce on the same premises or travelling in the same vehicle. Therefore, care should be taken to use only non-smelling material as protection in packaging.
Pineapples must be sufficiently developed
Interpretation: Pineapples that are sufficiently developed show yellow green cast at the stem scar after removing the calyx and grooves of the two layers of eyes from the bottom are turning yellow and are far apart .
Carefully picked pineapple which have reached an appropiate degree of development and ripeness (According to variety/and or commercial type and growing area)
The fruit must be physiologically ripe, i.e. without evidence of unripeness (opaque, flavourless, exceedingly porous[1] flesh) or over-ripeness (exceedingly translucent or fermented flesh)
A transverse section of the fruit must not reveal flesh that is excessively fibrous or lacking in aroma.
The “eyes” should be well-filled, according to the characteristics of the variety
When a peduncle (stem) is present, it shall be no longer than 2.0 cm and the cut must be transversal, straight and clean.
The total soluble solids content of the fruit flesh should be at least 120 Brix (twelve Brix degrees). For the determination of Brix degrees, a sample of the juice representative of all the fruit shall be taken.
The development and condition of the pineaaples must be such that to enable them:
· To withstand transportation and handling, and
· To arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination
Standard:
B. CLASSIFICATION
Pineapples are classified in three classes defined below:
(i) “Extra” Class
Pineapples in this class must be of superior quality. They must have all the typical characteristics and colouring of the variety and/ or commercial type.
Pineapples must be very carefully presented
They must be :
· Well developed
· fresh in appearance and firm, with well-developed eyes.
· The crown must be simple and straight with no side-shoots and between 50-150% of the length of the fruit for pineaaples with untrimmed crowns .
They must be free from defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided that these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.
Very slight defects may appear during cultivation, harvest, storage , packaging or transportation. Photo 23
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(ii) Class I
Pineapples in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type.
Although the Class 1 quality requirements are less strict than for “Extra “ Class, Class 1 Pineapples must, nevertheless , be carefully selected and presented.
They must be:
· Reasonably developed
· fresh in appearance and firm, with well-developed eyes.
The following slight defects, however, may be allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package
· Slight defects in shape
· Slight defects in colouring, including sun-scorch
· Slight skin defects (i.e. scratches, scars, scrapes and blemishes) not exceeding 4 per cent of the total surface area.
· The crown may be simple or double and straight or slightly curved, with no side-shoots and should not exceed 150 per cent of the length of the fruit.
· The maximum inclination of the crown should not exceed 300 from the longitudinal axis of the fruit.
The defects must not, in any case, affect the pulp of the fruit.
Examples of Class I defects are shown in Photos 24-27.
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(iii) Class II
This class includes pineapples that do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but satisfy the minimum requirements specified above.
Pineapples in this class must be of marketable quality, suitability presented and suitable for human consumption
The following defects may be allowed, provided the pineapples retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation:
· Defects in shape
· Defects in colouring, including sun-scorch (Photos 26)
· Skin defects (i.e. scratches, scars, scrapes, bruises and blemishes) not exceeding 8 per cent of the total surface area.
· The crown if present should be simple or double and straight or slightly curved with no sprouts.
The defects must not, in any case, affect the pulp of the fruit.
Examples of Class II defects are shown in Photos 28-30
(iv) Classification by exterior colouring
Colour criteria of the fruit are as follows:
· C0: totally green exterior
· C1: beginning to turn yellow/orange on ¼ of the fruit surface
· C2: yellow/orange on ½ of the fruit surface
· C3: yellow/orange on 2/3 of the fruit surface
· C4: totally yellow/orange fruit
Examples of Classification by exterior colouring Photos 31-35
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PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
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III . PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Standard:
Size is determined by weight
Uniformity in size is cumplusory for Classes “Extra” and 1.
· The minimum weight per individual fruit is 700 grams[2]
· Pineapples within a carton may vary in weight by not more than 10 per cent above or below the average individual fruit weight for the carton.
Provisons Concerning Tolerance
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IV. PROVISONS CONCERNING TOLERANCE
Standard:
Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each lot for produce not satisfying the requirements for the class indicated.
Interpretation: Tolerances are provided to allow for human error during the grading and packaging process. During grading and sizing it is not permitted to deliberately include out of grade produce, i.e to exploit the tolerances deliberately.
The tolerances are determined after examining each sample and taking the average of the all samples examined. The tolerances are stated interms of percentages, by number of pineaples in the total sample not conforming to the calss or to the size indicated on the package.
Standard:
A. Quality tolerances
(i) “Extra” class
A total tolerance of Five per cent by number or weight, of pineapples not satasfying the requirements of the class but meeting those of Class I is allowed. Within this tolerance not more than 0.5 per cent in total may consist of produce satisfying the requiremebnts of class II quality.
(ii) Class I
A total tolerance of ten per cent by number or weight , of pineapples not satasfying the requirements of the class but meeting those of Class II is allowed. Within this tolerance not more than 1 per cent in total may consist of produce satisfying neither the requirements of class II quality nor the minium requirements. Produce affected by rotting or any other deterioration rendering it unfit for comsumption is excluuded.
(iii) Class II
A total tolerance of ten per cent by number or weight , of pineapples not satasfying neither the requirements of the class nor the minimum requirements is allowed. Produce affected by rotting or any other deterioration rendering if unfit for comsumption is excluded. Within this tolerance, a maximum of 2 percent by number of fruit may have ------to be defined latter (e.g bitter taste)
B. Size tolerances
For all classes (If Sized), a total tolerance of 10 per cent by number or weight of pineapples not satisfying the requirements as regard to sizing is allowed . however, this tolerance is applicable only to produce that differs by no more than 10 per cent from the sizes and weight limit specified. Corresponding to the size immediately above and/or below that indicated on the package.
Deviation from the size range: 10 % by number of pineapples may be allowed up to 10 above or below the indicated size range.
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