Description

· Canned Chestnuts Is The Product (A) Prepared From Fresh, Sound, Mature Chestnuts Of Varieties Conforming To The Characteristics Of The Species Castanea Crenata Sieb Et Zucc. (Japanese Chestnut) Or Castanea Sativa Miller (European Chestnut) Which Shall Be Shelled And May Be Pellicled Or Unpellicled;1 (B) Packed With Or Without Water Which May Or May Not Contain Sugars, Seasonings And Other Ingredients Appropriate To The Product; And (C) Processed By Heat In An Appropriate Manner, Before Or After Being Hermetically Sealed In A Container, So As To Prevent Spoilage.

Styles :-

· Canned Chestnuts :-

o Whole – Whole Chestnuts Which Are Pellicled Or Un Pellicled And/Or Trimmed Into A Practical Tetrahedron.

o Brokens2 – Small Pieces Which May Not Be Uniform In Size And/Or Shape.

Canned Chestnut Puree :-

· Sweetened – With Added Sugars Listed In 2.1 (B); Not Less Than 12 Percent Total Soluble Solids (12 Brix).

Unsweetened – Without Added Sugars; Not Less Than 10 Percent Total Soluble Solids (10 Brix).

Other Styles :-

· Is Sufficiently Distinctive From Other Forms Of Presentation Laid Down In This Standard;

· Meets All Other Requirements Of This Standard;

· Is Adequately Described On The Label To Avoid Confusing Or Misleading The Consumer.

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

Packing Media :-

· Water – In Which Water Is The Sole Packing Medium;

· Water Which May Have One Or More Of The Following Nutritive Sweeteners As Defined By The Codex Alimentarius Commission Added: Sucrose, Invert Sugar Syrup, Dextrose, Dried Glucose Syrup, Glucose Syrup, Fructose, Fructose Syrup, Honey.

Classification Of Packing Media When Nutritive Sweeteners Are Added :-

· Slightly Sweetened Water – Not Less Than 10 Brix

· Water Slightly Sweetened – But Less Than 14 Brix

· Extra Light Syrup – Not Less Than 14 Brix

· Light Syrup – But Less Than 18 Brix

· Heavy Syrup – Not Less Than 18 Brix , But Less Than 22 Brix

· Extra Heavy Syrup – Not Less Than 22 Brix

· The Cut-Out Strength For Any Packing Medium Shall Be Determined On Average, But No Container May Have A Brix Value Lower Than That Of The Next Category Below.

Quality Criteria :-

· Colour :- When Colour Is Not Added, Canned Chestnuts Or Canned Chestnut Puree Shall Have A Normal Colour Characteristic Of The Varieties Used. Browning And Discolouration Shall Be Regarded As Defects.

· Flavour :- Canned Chestnuts Or Canned Chestnut Puree Shall Have A Normal Flavour And Odour Free From Flavours And Odours Foreign To The Products.

· Texture :- Canned Chestnuts Shall Have A Reasonably Uniform Thick Texture And Shall Not Be Excessively Firm Nor Unreasonably Soft.

Defects And Allowances :-

· The Product Shall Be Substantially Free From Defects Such As Harmless Plant Material, Shell, Pellicle (In Pellicled Styles), Blemished Units, Split And Broken Units (In Whole Styles) And Discoloured Units. Slight Syneresis In Canned Chestnut Puree Should Not Be Regarded As A Defect. Certain Common Defects Shall Not Be Present In Amounts Greater Than The Following Limitations:

· Not More Than 14 Percent By Mass Of Chestnuts On The Net Drained Weight; A

· Not More Than 20 Percent Of Chestnuts Which Are Not Whole On The Net Drained Weight For The Style “Whole”.

FOOD ADDITIVES

Chelating Agent :-

· Sodium Polyphosphate – Limited By Good Manufacturing Practice

Antioxidants :-

· L-Ascorbic Acid – 300 Mg/Kg Expressed As Ascorbic Acid,

· Sodium Ascorbate – Singly Or In Combination

Acidifying Agents :-

· Citric Acid, Malic Acid, L-Tartaric Acid – Limited By Good Manufacturing Practice 10 G/Kg

Bleaching Agent:-

· Sulphur Dioxide (Not Authorized In Puree) – 30 Mg/Kg, Calculated As S02

Natural Colouring Agents :-

· Turmeric (CI 75300), Crocin (CI 75100), Carthamus Yellow (CI 75140) – Limited By Good Manufacturing Practice

Flavourings :-

· Extract Of Vanilla, Vanillin – Limited By Good Manufacturing Practice

Thickening Agents :-

· Pectins – Limited By GMP

CONTAMINANTS

· Lead (Pb) – 1 Mg/Kg

· Tin (Sn) – 250 Mg/Kg

Hygiene

· It Is Recommended That The Product Covered By The Provisions Of This Standard Be Prepared And Handled In Accordance With The Appropriate Sections Of The General Principles Of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), And Other Codes Of Practice Recommended By The Codex Alimentarius Commission Which Are Relevant To This Product.

· To The Extent Possible In Good Manufacturing Practice, The Product Shall Be Free From Objectionable Matter.

When Tested By Appropriate Methods Of Sampling And Examination, The Product :-

· Shall Be Free From Microorganisms In Amounts Which May Represent A Hazard To Health;

· Shall Be Free From Parasites Which May Represent A Hazard To Health;

· Shall Not Contain Any Substance Originating From Microorganisms In Amounts Which May Represent A Hazard To Health.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

Minimum Fill :-

· The Container Shall Be Well Filled With Chestnuts Or Chestnut Puree And The Product (Including Packing Medium) Shall Occupy Not Less Than 90 Percent Of The Water Capacity Of The Container. The Water Capacity Of The Container, Is The Volume Of Distilled Water At 20°C Which The Sealed Container Will Hold When Completely Filled.

Minimum Drained Weight :-

· The Drained Weight Of The Product Packed With Liquid Packing Medium Shall Be Not Less Than The Following Percentages, Calculated On The Basis Of The Weight Of Distilled Water At 20C Which The Sealed Container Will Hold When Completely Filled:

· Not Less Than 300 Ml Of Water Capacity Of The Container – 60%

· Less Than 300 Ml Of Water Capacity Of The Container – 55%

· The Requirements For Minimum Drained Weight Shall Be Deemed To Be Complied With When The Average Drained Weight Of All Containers Examined Is Not Less Than The Minimum Required, Provided That There Is No Unreasonable Shortage In Individual Containers.

LABELLING

· In Addition To The Requirements Of The General Standard For The Labelling Of Prepackaged Foods (CXS 1-1985), The Following Specific Provisions Apply:

Name Of The Food :-

· The Style, As Appropriate, Shall Be Declared As A Part Of The Name Or In Close Proximity To The Name:

· “Whole”, “Brokens”, “Sweetened”, “Unsweetened” – In The Case Of Chestnut Puree Only

· If The Product Is Produced In Accordance With The Other Styles Provision In Sub-Section 1.2.3, The Label Shall Contain In Close Proximity To The Name Of The Product Such Additional Words Or Phrases That Will Avoid Misleading Or Confusing The Consumer.

· The Packing Medium Shall Be Declared As Part Of The Name Or In Close Proximity To The Name:

· When The Packing Medium Is Composed Of Water, The Packing Medium Shall Be Declared As:

· “In Water” Or “Packed In Water”.

· When Nutritive Sweeteners Are Added To Water, The Packing Medium Shall Be Declared As:

· “Slightly Sweetened Water”, “Water Slightly Sweetened”, “Extra Light Syrup”, “Light Syrup”, “Heavy Syrup”, “Extra Heavy Syrup”

· When The Packing Medium Contains No Added Sweetening Agents, The Term “No Added Sugar” Or Other Words Of Similar Import May Be Used In Association With, Or In Close Proximity To The Name Of The Food.

METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING

· For Checking Compliance With This Standard, The Methods Of Analysis And Sampling Contained In The Recommended Methods Of Analysis And Sampling (CXS 234-1999) Relevant To The Provisions In This Standard Shall Be Used.