Description

·       Prepared From The Sound Fruits Of Varieties Of The Cultivated Olive Tree (Olea Europaea L.) Having Reached Appropriate Degree Of Development For Processing That Are Chosen For Their Production Of Olives Whose Volume, Shape, Flesh-To-Stone Ratio, Fine Flesh, Taste, Firmness And Ease Of Detachment From The Stone Make Them Particularly Suitable For Processing;

·       Treated To Remove Its Bitterness And Preserved By Natural Fermentation, And/Or By Heat Treatment, And/Or By Other Means So As To Prevent Spoilage And To Ensure Product Stability In Appropriate Storage Conditions With Or Without The Addition Of Preservatives;

·       Table Olives Are Classified In One Of The Following Olive Types And Trade Preparations / Treatments.

Types Of Olives :- 

·       Green Olives: Fruits Harvested During The Ripening Period, Prior To Colouring And When They Have Reached Normal Size.

·       Olives Turning Colour: Fruits Harvested Before The Stage Of Complete Ripeness Is Attained, At Colour Change.

·       Black Olives: Fruits Harvested When Fully Ripe Or Slightly Before Full Ripeness Is Reached.

Trade Preparations:-

·       Treated Olives: Green Olives, Olives Turning Colour Or Black Olives That Have Undergone Alkaline Treatment.

·       Treated Green Olives;

·       Treated Olives Turning Colour;

·       Treated Black Olives;

·       Green Ripe Olives 1 .

Natural Olives: Green Olives, Olives Turning Colour Or Black Olives Placed Directly In Brine In Which They Undergo Complete Or Partial Fermentation, Preserved Or Not By The Addition Of Acidifying Agents:

·       Natural Green Olives;

·       Natural Olives Turning Colour;

·       Natural Black Olives.

Dehydrated And/Or Shrivelled Olives: Green Olives, Olives Turning Colour Or Black Olives That Have Undergone Or Not Mild Alkaline Treatment, Preserved In Brine Or Partially Dehydrated In Dry Salt And/Or By Heating Or By Any Other Technological Process:

·       Dehydrated And/Or Shrivelled Green Olives;

·       Dehydrated And/Or Shrivelled Olives Turning Colour;

·       Dehydrated And/Or Shrivelled Black Olives.

Olives Darkened By Oxidation: Green Olives Or Olives Turning Colour Preserved In Brine, Fermented Or Not, And Darkened By Oxidation With Or Without Alkaline Medium. They Shall Be A Uniform Brown To Black Colour.

·       Black Olives.

·       Specialities: Olives May Be Prepared By Means Distinct From, Or Additional To, Those Set Forth Above. Such Specialities Retain The Name “Olive” As Long As The Fruit Used Complies With The General Definitions Laid Down In This Standard. The Names Used For These Specialities Shall Be Sufficiently Explicit To Prevent Any Confusion, In Purchasers’ Or Consumers’ Minds, As To The Origin And Nature Of The Products And, In Particular, With Respect To The Designations Laid Down In This Standard.

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

Other Permitted Ingredients :- Other Permitted Ingredients AS

·       Water; Food-Grade Salts As Defined In Standard For Food Grade Salt (CXS 150-1985);

·       Vinegar;

·       Olive Oil As Defined In Standard For Olive Oils And Olive Pomace Oil (CXS 33-1981) Or Other Edible Vegetable Oils As Defined In Standard For Named Vegetable Oils (CXS 210-1999);

·       Sugars As Defined By Standard For Sugars (CXS 212-1999) And/Or Other Foodstuffs With Sweetening Properties Such As Honey (CXS 12-1981);

·       Any Single Or Combination Of Edible Material Used As An Accompaniment Or Stuffing Such As, For Example, Pimiento, Onion, Almond, Celery, Anchovy, Capers, Or Pastes Thereof;

·       Spices And Aromatic Herbs Or Natural Extracts Thereof.

·       Packing Media (Packing Brines) :- Trade Preparations Of Table Olives Not Complying With The Above Physico–Chemical Characteristics Should Be Appropriately Processed To Ensure That They Comply With The General Food Safety Recommendations As Set Out In Section 6. The Presence Of Propionic Acid And Its Salts May Be Observed In Table Olive Trade Preparations That Have Undergone Fermentation In Conformity With Good Manufacturing Practice. 

Quality Factors :-

·       Table Olives Should Have Normal Colour, Flavour, Odour And Texture Characteristic Of The Finished Product. 

·       The Olives And Brine Shall Be Devoid Of Any Microbiological Deterioration And Extraneous Taste And Smell Caused By Anomalous Fermentation.

·       Trade Categories :- Classification Of Table Olives Is Optional; However, If Classified, The Following Designations Apply: 

“Extra” Or “Fancy” Or “A” :- 

·       The High-Quality Olives Endowed To The Maximum Extent With The Characteristics Specific To The Variety And Trade Preparation Are Considered As Belonging To This Category. Notwithstanding, And Providing This Does Not Affect The Overall Favourable Aspect Or Organoleptic Characteristics Of Each Fruit, They May Have Very Slight Colour, Shape, Flesh-Firmness Or Skin Defects.

·       Whole, Split, Stoned (Pitted) And Stuffed Olives Of Appropriate Varieties May Be Classified In This Category.

“First”, “1st”, “Choice” Or “Select” Or “B” :-

·       This Category Covers Good Quality Olives With A Suitable Degree Of Ripeness And Endowed With The Characteristics Specific To The Variety And Trade Preparation. Providing This Does Not Affect The Overall Favourable Aspect Or Individual Organoleptic Characteristics Of Each Fruit, They May Have Slight Colour, Shape, Skin Or Fleshfirmness Defects.

·       All The Types, Preparations And Styles Of Table Olives May Be Classified In This Category, Except For Chopped Or Broken Olives.

“Second”, “2nd” Or “Standard” Or “C” :-

·       This Category Includes Good Quality Olives Which, Although They Cannot Be Classified In The Two Previous Categories, Comply With The General Conditions Defined For Table Olives Under This Section.

·       Uniformity Of Size :- Table Olives Shall Be Uniform In Size. If They Are Size-Graded The Following Scale May Be Applied. Different Scales Or Size Designations May Nevertheless Be Applied According To Agreements Between The Parties Concerned. The Olives Are Size-Graded By Count Of The Number Of Fruits Per Kilogram Me As In The Table Below.

Definitions Of Defects :-

·       Harmless Extraneous Material: Any Vegetable Matter Not Injurious To Health, Nor Aesthetically Undesirable, For Example Leaves, Separated Stems, But Not Including Substances The Addition Of Which Has Been Authorized In The Standard.

·       Blemished Fruit: Olives With Marks Or Stains On The Skin That Are More Than 9 Mm2 In Surface Area And That May Or May Not Penetrate Through To The Fleshes Which Singly Or In The Aggregate, Materially Affect The Appearance Or Eating Quality Of The Olives.

·       Mutilated Fruit: Olives Damaged By Tearing The Epicarp Affecting The Flesh To Such An Extent That A Portion Of The Mesocarp Becomes Visible.

·       Broken Fruit: Olives Damaged To Such An Extent As To Affect Their Normal Structure.

·       Shrivelled Fruit: Olives That Are So Abnormally Wrinkled As To Affect Their Appearance. The Slight Superficial Wrinkles Displayed By Certain Trade Preparations Shall Not Be Considered A Defect.

·       Abnormal Texture: Olives Which Are Excessively Or Abnormally Flabby Or Tough In Comparison With The Trade Preparation In Question And With The Average Of A Representative Sample Of The Lot.

·       Abnormal Colour: Olives The Colour Of Which Is Distinctly Different From The Characteristic Colour Of The Trade Preparation In Question And From The Average Of A Representative Sample Of The Lot.

·       Stems: Stems Attached To The Olives And Which Measure More Than 3 Mm In Length When Measured From The Shoulder Of The Olive. Not Considered A Defect In Whole Olives Presented With Stem Attached.

·       Defective Stuffing: Olives Presented In The Stuffed Olive Style Which Are Totally Or Partly Empty In Comparison With The Trade Preparation In Question And With The Average Of A Representative Sample Of The Lot.

·       Stone (Pit) Or Stone (Pit) Fragments (Except For Whole Olives): Whole Stones (Pits), Or Stone (Pit) Fragments Measuring More Than 2 Mm Along Their Longest Axis.

·       “Soft” – Units Lacking The Firmness That Is Characteristic For A Particular Variety.

·       “Excessively Soft” – Units Shall Be Considered Excessively Soft When The Olives Appear To Be Spongy Or Watery. Units That Have The Apparent Shape Of Whole Units, But Appear To Have Disintegrated Flesh And Water Texture Shall Be Considered Excessively Soft. In Addition, A Unit Shall Be Considered Excessively Soft If The Pit Can Be Felt When Applying Moderate Pressure.

FOOD ADDITIVES

·       Acidity Regulators, Antioxidants, Colour Retention Agents4, Firming Agents, Flavour Enhancers, Preservatives, And Thickeners5 Used In Accordance With Tables 1 And 2 Of The General Standard For Food Additives (CXS 1921995) In Food Category 04.2.2.3 (Vegetables (Including Mushrooms And Fungi, Roots And Tubers, Pulses And Legumes, And Aloe Vera), And Seaweeds In Vinegar, Oil, Brine, Or Soybean Sauce) Or Listed In Table 3 Of The General Standard For Food Additives Are Acceptable For Use In Foods Conforming To This Standard.

CONTAMINANTS

·       The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Levels Of The General Standard For Contaminants And Toxins In Food And Feed (CXS 193-1995).

·       The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Residue Limits For Pesticides Established By The Codex Alimentarius Commission.

HYGIENE

·       It Is Recommended That The Product Covered By This Standard Be Prepared And Handled In Accordance With The Appropriate Sections Of The General Principles Of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), The Code Of Hygienic Practice For Low And Acidified Low-Acid Canned Foods (CXC 23-1979), Code Of Hygienic Practice For Canned Fruit And Vegetable Products (CXC 2-1969), And Other Relevant Codex Texts Such As Codes Of Hygienic Practice And Codes Of Practice.

·       The Product Should Comply With Any Microbiological Criteria Established In Accordance With The Principles And Guidelines For The Establishment And Application Of Microbiological Criteria Related To Foods (CXG 21-1997).

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

·       Minimum Fill :- The Container Should Be Well Filled With The Product (Including Packing Medium) Which Should Occupy Not Less Than 90% (Minus Any Necessary Head Space According To Good Manufacturing Practices) Of The Water Capacity Of The Container. The Water Capacity Of The Container Is The Volume Of Distilled Water At 20C Which The Sealed Container Will Hold When Completely Filled. 

·       Classification Of “Defectives” :- A Container That Fails To Meet The Requirements For Minimum Fill Of Section 7.1.1 Should Be Considered A “Defective”. 

·       Minimum Net Drained Weight :-The Drained Weight Of The Product Should Be Not Less Than The Following Percentages, Calculated On The Basis Of The Weight Of Distilled Water At 20oc Which The Sealed Container Will Hold When Completely Filled

Classification Of Defectives :-

·       The Tolerance Concerning The Net Drained Weight Mentioned On The Container Shall Not Exceed The Following Percentage Scale, Providing The Sample’s Mean Net Drained Weight Is Equal To, Or In Excess Of, Said Declared Weight:

LABELLING

·       The Products Covered By The Provisions Of This Standard Shall Be Labelled In Accordance With The General Standard For The Labelling Of Prepackaged Foods (CXS 1-1985). In Addition, The Following Specific Provisions Apply:

·       Name Of The Product :- The Name Of The Product Shall Be “Olives” Or “Table Olives”.