DESCRIPTION

  • Chili sauce is the product:
    • intended for use as seasoning and condiment;
    • prepared from the edible portion of sound and clean raw materials referred to in below which are mixed and prepared to obtain the desired quality and characteristics;
    • processed by heat, in an appropriate manner, before or after being hermetically sealed in a container, so as to prevent spoilage.
  • Styles
    • Chili sauce with pulp and seeds homogeneously ground together.
    • Chili sauce with pulp and seeds homogeneously ground together with the addition of particles of chili pulp, flakes and pieces and seeds distributed in the sauce.
    • Chili sauce with crushed pulp and seeds as separate layers or distributed in the sauce.
    • Chili sauce with only pulp or crushed pulp or both.
  • Other styles
    • is sufficiently distinctive from other forms of presentation laid down in the Standard;
    • meets all other requirements of the Standard, as applicable;
    • is adequately described on the label to avoid confusing or misleading the consumer.

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

  • Composition
    • Basic Ingredients
      • fresh chili (Capsicum spp.) or processed chili such as chili powder ground from dried chili, roasted chili, ground chili , chili preserved in vinegar or in brine;
      • vinegar or other permitted acid;
      • salt;
      • water.
    • Other Permitted Ingredients
      • mango, papaya, tamarind and/or other fruits;
      • tomato, garlic, onion, carrot, sweet potato, yellow pumpkin and/or other vegetables;
      • spices and herbs;
      • sugars;
      • chili extract;
      • other edible ingredients as appropriate to the product.
  • Quality criteria
    • General Requirements Chili sauce should have normal colour, flavour, and odour, corresponding to the type of raw materials used and should possess texture characteristic of the product.
    • Definition of Defects Foreign vegetal matter means any vegetable part (such as, but not limited to, chili pedicels, leaves, calyxes and garlic stems) that does not pose any hazard to human health but affects the overall appearance of the final product.
    • Defects and Allowances The product shall be practically free from dark specks or scale-like particles, discoloured seeds or pieces of abnormally discoloured ingredients and foreign vegetal matter excluding the dark specks or dark particles that are obtained from the natural process of the sauce, for example in the roasting process.
    • Classification of ‘’defectives’’ A container that fails to meet one or more of the applicable quality requirements, as set out in Section 3.2 should be considered as a “defective”.

FOOD ADDITIVES

  • Only those food additive classes listed below are technologically justified and may be used in products covered by this Standard. Within each additive class only those food additives listed below, or referred to, may be used and only for the functions, and within limits, specified.
  • Only those food additive classes listed below are technologically justified and may be used in products covered by this Standard. Within each additive class only those food additives listed below, or referred to, may be used and only for the functions, and within limits, specified.
  • Acidity regulators
    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      334

      L(+)-Tartaric acid

      5000 mg/kg (as tartrate)

      (singly or in combination)

      335(ii)

      Sodium L(+)-tartrate

      337

      Potassium sodium L(+)-tartrate

      452(i)

      Sodium polyphosphate

      1000 mg/kg

      (as phosphorus)

  • Antioxidants
    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      307a

      Tocopherol, d-alpha-

       

      600 mg/kg

      (singly or in combination)

      307b

      Tocopherol concentrate, mixed

      307c

      Tocopherol, dl-alpha-

      320

      Butylated hydroxyanisole

      100 mg/kg

      321

      Butylated hydroxytoluene

      100 mg/kg

      386

      Disodium ethylene diamine tetra acetate

      75 mg/kg

  • Colours

    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      100(i)

      Curcumin

      GMP

      101(i)

      Riboflavin, synthetic

      350 mg/kg

      (singly or in combination)

      101(ii)

      Riboflavin, 5’-phosphate sodium

      102

      Tartrazine

      100 mg/kg

      110

      Sunset yellow FCF

      300 mg/kg

      120

      Carmines

      50 mg/kg

      124

      Ponceau (4R) (cochineal red A)

      50 mg/kg

      127

      Erythrosine

      50 mg/kg

      129

      Allura Red AC

      300 mg/kg

      133

      Brilliant blue, FCF

      100 mg/kg

      141(i)

      Chlorophylls, copper complexes

      30 mg/kg (as Cu)

      150c

      Caramel III – ammonia process

      1500 mg/kg

      150d

      Caramel IV – sulphite ammonia process

      1500 mg/kg

      155

      Brown HT

      50 mg/kg

      160a (ii)

      Carotenes, beta (vegetable)

      2000 mg/kg

      160b(i)

      Annatto extracts, bixin based

      10 mg/kg

      160d(i)

      Lycopene (synthetic)

      390 mg/kg

  • Preservatives
    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      210

      Benzoic acid

       

      1000 mg/kg (as benzoic acid)

      (singly or in combination)

      211

      Sodium benzoate

      212

      Potassium benzoate

      213

      Calcium benzoate

      200

      Sorbic acid

       

      1000 mg/kg (as sorbic acid)

      (singly or in combination)

      201

      Sodium sorbate

      202

      Potassium sorbate

      203

      Calcium sorbate

      220

      Sulfur dioxide

       

       

       

      300 mg/kg (as residual SO2)

      (singly or in combination)

      221

      Sodium sulfite

      222

      Sodium hydrogen sulfite

      223

      Sodium metabisulfite

      224

      Potassium metabisulfite

      225

      Potassium sulfite

      539

      Sodium thiosulfate

      214

      Ethyl paradydroxybenzoates

       

      1000 mg/kg

      218

      Methyl para-hydroxybenzoates

  • Emulsifiers

    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      432

      Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate

       

       

       

      5 000 mg/kg (singly or in combination)

      433

      Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate

      434

      Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate

      435

      Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monoesterate

      473

      Sucrose esters of fatty acids

      5 000 mg/kg

      475

      Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids

      10 000 mg/kg

      477

      Propylene glycol esters of fatty acids

      20 000 mg/kg

  • Sweeteners
    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      951

      Aspartame

      350 mg/kg

      950

      Acesulfame potassium

      1000 mg/kg

      955

      Sucralose

      450 mg/kg

      952(i)

      Saccharin

       

       

      150 mg/kg

      (singly or in combination)

      952(ii)

      Calcium saccharin

      952(iii)

      Potassium saccharin

      952(iv)

      Sodium saccharin

  • Stabilizers

    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      472e

      Diacetyctartaric and fatty acid esters of glycerol

      10 000 mg/kg

  • Thickeners
    • INS No.

      Food Additive

      Maximum level

      405

      Propylene glycol alginate

      8 000 mg/kg

  • Flavourings The flavourings used in products covered by this standard shall comply with the Guidelines for the Use of Flavourings (CXG 66-2008).

CONTAMINANTS

  • Pesticides Residues The product covered by this Standard shall comply with the maximum residue limits for pesticides established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
  • Other contaminants The product 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).

HYGIENE

  • It is recommended that the products 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), the Code of Hygienic Practice for Low and Acidified Low Acid Canned Foods (CXC 23-1979) 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 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 20oC which the sealed container will hold when completely filled.
    • Flexible containers should be filled as full as commercially practicable.
  • Classification of “Defectives” A container that fails to meet the requirement for minimum fill of Section 7.1.1 should be considered as a “defective”.

LABELLING

  • The product covered by the provisions of this Standard shall be labelled in accordance with the latest edition of 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 “Chili sauce”, “Sweet chili sauce” or other names in accordance with the composition and the law and custom of the country in which the product is sold and in the manner not to mislead the consumer.
    • The level of chili pungency (heat value) may be declared in conjunction with, or in close proximity to, the name of the product in a manner not to mislead the consumer, and must be accepted by or be acceptable to competent authorities of the country where the product is sold.
  • Labelling of non-retail containers
    • Information for non-retail containers shall be given either on the container or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot identification, and the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, distributor or importer, as well as storage instructions shall appear on the container. However, lot identification, and the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, distributor or importer may be replaced by an identification mark, provided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents.