CLASSIFICATION |
·
THE ONIONS ARE
CLASSIFIED IN TWO CLASSES, AS DEFINED BELOW: |
·
CLASS I o
ONIONS
IN THIS CLASS MUST BE OF GOOD QUALITY. THEY MUST BE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE
VARIETY AND/OR COMMERCIAL TYPE. o
THE
BULBS MUST BE: o
FIRM
AND COMPACT; §
ONIONS
MAY YIELD SLIGHTLY UNDER NORMAL PRESSURE BY THE FINGERS BUT MUST NOT BE SOFT
OR SPONGY. o
FREE
FROM EXTERNALLY VISIBLE SHOOTS; §
ONIONS
BEGINNING TO SPROUT ARE NOT ALLOWED. o
FREE
FROM SWELLING CAUSED BY ABNORMAL VEGETATIVE DEVELOPMENT; §
ONIONS
WITH ABNORMAL SWELLINGS HAVE A THICK NECK AND A SMALL POORLY OR A ABNORMALLY
DEVELOPED BULB. o
PRACTICALLY
FREE OF ROOT TUFTS; HOWEVER, FOR ONIONS HARVESTED BEFORE COMPLETE MATURITY,
ROOT TUFTS ARE ALLOWED. o
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: §
A
SLIGHT DEFECT IN SHAPE; §
THE
BULBS MAY BE SLIGHTLY MIS-SHAPEN, HOWEVER, PROVIDED THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF
THE BULB OR THE PACKAGE AS A WHOLE IS NOT THUS IMPAIRED. §
‘DOUBLE’
OR ‘MULTIPLE’ ONIONS, I.E. THOSE WITH TWO BULBS JOINED AT THE BASE OR SEVERAL
BULBS PARTLY COVERED BY OUTER SKIN. THESE ONIONS ARE, NEVERTHELESS, ALLOWED
IN THIS CLASS IF ENTIRELY COVERED BY A SINGLE OUTER SKIN AND PROPERLY SHAPED. |
· SLIGHT DEFECTS IN COLOURING; o
THE COLOURING MUST BE
CHARACTERISTIC OF SOUND BULBS IN THE VARIETY CONCERNED. SLIGHT GREENISH
DISCOLORATION OF THE TOP OR SLIGHT DISCOLOURING DUE TO ‘THRIPS’ MAY BE
ALLOWED, HOWEVER, PROVIDED THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE BULB OR THE PACKAGE
AS THE WHOLE IS NOT AFFECTED. |
·
LIGHT STAINING THAT
DOES NOT AFFECT THE OUTER SKIN, PROVIDED IT DOES NOT COVER MORE THAN ONE
FIFTH OF THE BULB’S SURFACE; |
·
SUPERFICIAL CRACKS
IN AND PARTIAL ABSENCE OF THE OUTER SKINS, PROVIDED THE FLESH IS PROTECTED. |
·
WHEN ONIONS ARE
STORED AND /OR HANDLED IN A DRY ATMOSPHERE, THE DRY OUTER SKIN MAY SPLIT AND
DISAPPEAR. THUS, SMALL CRACKS IN THE DRY OUTER SKIN, DUE TO LOW AIR-HUMIDITY,
ARE ALLOWED. AS FAR AS THE FLESH IS NOT VISIBLE SMALL CRACKS IN THE OUTER
SKIN ARE NOT CONSIDERED AS DEFECTS. |
·
CLASS II |
·
THIS CLASS INCLUDES
ONIONS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR INCLUSION IN CLASS I BUT SATISFY |
·
THE MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED ABOVE. ONIONS IN THIS CLASS MUST BE OF REASONABLE
QUALITY, AND ARE SUITABLE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. |
·
THE BULBS MUST BE
REASONABLY FIRM. |
·
THE FOLLOWING
DEFECTS MAY BE ALLOWED PROVIDED THE ONIONS RETAIN THEIR ESSENTIAL
CHARACTERISTICS AS REGARDS THE QUALITY, THE KEEPING QUALITY AND PRESENTATION: |
· DEFECTS IN SHAPE; o
SHAPE NOT TYPICAL OF
THE VARIETY MAY BE ALLOWED. THE VARIATIONS MUST, HOWEVER, NOT BE SUCH, AS TO
RESULT IN GENERAL DEPRECIATION OF THE PACKAGE WHERE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF
THE PRODUCE ARE CONCERNED. THUS IN THE SAME WAY AS FOR CLASS I. THE FOLLOWING
ONIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED: DISTINCTLY MIS-SHAPEN, WITH BULL-NECKS, MULTIPLE.
DOUBLE ONIONS ARE ALLOWED IF ENTIRELY COVERED BY A SINGLE OUTER SKIN. |
· DEFECT IN COLOURING o
ONIONS WHICH HAVE
GREENISH DISCOLOURATION OR LOST THEIR NATURAL COLOUR AND ONIONS OF WHICH THE
OUTER SKIN HAS DARKENED DUE TO HEATING ARE ALLOWED IN THIS CLASS. |
· TRACES DUE TO RUBBING; o
SLIGHT MARKING CAUSED
BY PARASITES OR DISEASE; o
SMALL HEALED CRACKS; o
SLIGHT HEALED BRUISING; o
ROOT TUFTS; o
STAINS THAT DO NOT
AFFECT THE OUTER SKIN, PROVIDED THEY DO NOT COVER MORE THAN HALF THE BULB’S
SURFACE; |
·
A WET PERIOD DURING
HARVESTING CAN CAUSE STAINS ON THE OUTER SKIN. STAINING WHICH AFFECT THE
OUTER SKIN IS ALLOWED, PROVIDED THAT THE STAINED PART OF THE SKIN IS LIMITED
TO 50 PER CENT OF THE SURFACE. EXCESSIVE STAINS COVERING MORE THAN 50 PER
CENT OF THE SURFACE ARE, IN ANY CASE, EXCLUDED. |
·
GENERALLY, THE
STAINS ON THE OUTER SKIN DO NOT AFFECT THE FLESH; BUT IF THE FLESH IS
AFFECTED, THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED. |
·
CRACKS IN THE OUTER
SKINS AND PARTIAL ABSENCE OF THE SKINS OVER A MAXIMUM OF ONE THIRD OF THE
BULB’S SURFACE, PROVIDED THE FLESH IS NOT DAMAGED. |
· NAME OF ILLUSTRATION ONIONS o
UNSPROUTED o
ROOT TUFTS o
DEFECTS IN SHAPE (ROUND
TYPE) o
DEFECTS IN SHAPE
(ELONGATED TYPE) o
GREENISH DISCOLOURATION
(YELLOW ONIONS) o
GREENISH DISCOLOURATION
(WHITE ONIONS) o
CRACKS OF THE SKIN o
STAINING (YELLOW
ONIONS) o
STAINING DUE TO SUNBURN
(RED ONIONS) o
STAINING DUE TO WET
WEATHER DURING HARVEST (RED ONIONS) o
BRUISING o
TYPICAL CLASS I. o
TYPICAL CLASS II |