QUICK FROZEN BLUEBERRIES​ CODEX

Description

·       Quick Frozen Blueberries Are The Product Prepared From Fresh, Clean, Sound, Ripe And Stemmed Blueberries Of Firm Texture, Conforming To The Characteristics Of Vaccinium Corymbosum L.2,3 Vaccinium Angustifolium AIT. And Vaccinium Ashei READE, And Which Are Packed With Or Without A Dry Sugar Or A Sugar Syrup And Frozen In An Appropriate Manner.

·       Quick Frozen Blueberries Are The Product Subjected To A Freezing Process In Appropriate Equipment And Complying With The Conditions Laid Down Hereafter. This Freezing Operation Shall Be Carried Out In Such A Way That The Range Of Temperature Of Maximum Crystallization Is Passed Quickly. The Quick Freezing Process Shall Not Be Regarded As Complete Unless And Until The Product Temperature Has Reached -18°C (0°F) At The Thermal Centre After Thermal Stabilization. The Recognized Practice Of Repacking Quick Frozen Products Under Controlled Conditions Is Permitted.

·       The Product Shall Be Handled Under Such Conditions As Will Maintain The Quality During Transportation, Storage And Distribution Up To And Including The Time Of Final Sale. It Is Recommended That During Storage, Transportation, Distribution And Retail, The Product Be Handled In Accordance With The Provisions In The Code Of Practice For The Processing And Handling Of Quick Frozen Foods (CXC 8-1976). 

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

·       Sugars (Sucrose, Invert Sugar, Invert Sugar Syrup, Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose Syrup, Dried Glucose Syrup).

Composition :-

·       The Total Soluble Solids Content Of The Liquid Extracted From The Thawed, Comminuted Sample Shall Be Not More Than 35% M/M Nor Less Than 18% M/M, Expressed As Sucrose, As Determined By Refractometer At 20C.

Blueberries Prepared With Syrup :-

·       The Amount Of Syrup Used Shall Be No More Than That Required To Cover The Berries And Fill The Spaces Between Them. The Total Soluble Solids Content Of The Liquid Extracted From The Thawed, Comminuted Sample Shall Be Not More Than 25% M/M Nor Less Than 15% M/M Expressed As Sucrose, As Determined By Refractometer At 20C.

General Requirements :-

·       Of Similar Varietal Characteristics;

·       Of Good Colour;

·       Free From Foreign Flavour And Odour;

·       Clean, Sound And Practically Free From Mould And Other Harmless Foreign Matter; And With Respect To Visual Defects Or Other Defects Subject To A Tolerance, Shall Be: 

·       Practically Free From Sand And Grit;

·       When Presented As Free-Flowing, Practically Free From Berries Adhering One To Another And Which Cannot Be Easily Separated By Hand Without Damage When In The Frozen State;

·       Practically Free From Extraneous Vegetable Material (E.V.M.);

·       Reasonably Free From Cap Stems (Stalks);

·       Practically Free From Unripe Berries;

·       Practically Free From Dissimilar Varieties Of Edible Berries Other Than Blueberries;

·       Reasonably Free From Blemished Berries;

·       Reasonably Free From Undeveloped Or Mummified Berries.

Analytical Requirements :-

·       Mineral Impurities Such As Sand, Grit, And Silt Shall Be Not More Than 0.04% M/M On The Whole Product (Berries And Packing Medium, If Any).

Free-Flowing Characteristics :-

·       When Presented As “Free-Flowing” A Tolerance Of 10% M/M Shall Be Allowed For Berries Which Are Stuck Together And Not Easily Separated In The Frozen State. The Sample Unit For Free “Flowing” Is The Entire Contents Of The Container Or As Large A Quantity As Practicable.

Definitions :-

·       Extraneous Vegetable Material (E.V.M.) Means Leaves Or Portions Of The Blueberry Plant, Or Other Similar Vegetable Material Which Is Harmless;

·       Cap Stems (Stalks) – Means The Immediate Stem That Attaches The Blueberry To The Plant, Whether Or Not Attached To The Berry, And Which Is 2 Mm, Or Greater In Length;.

·       Unripe Berries – Means Completely Green Berries Or Berries That Have A Green Cast That Predominates Over The Normal Reddish Purple Colour Of Blueberries;

·       Dissimilar Varieties – Means Other Edible Berries That Are Distinctly Different In Colour Or Shape, Which Have Definitely Different Internal Characteristics Than Blueberries;

·       Blemished – Means Blueberries Which Show Visible Signs Of Damage By Insects Or By Pathological Or Mechanical Injury;

·       Undeveloped Or Mummified – Means Berries That Are Badly Shrivelled, Dried Or Hard.

Standard Sample Size :-

·       The Sample Size For Evaluating Visual Defects, Including Application Of Tolerances Is 300 Grammes Of Drained Berries (See Relevant Codex Texts On Methods Of Analysis And Sampling).

FOOD ADDITIVES

·       FOOD ADDITIVES

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.

LABELLING

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

The Name Of The Food :-

·       The Name Of The Food As Declared On The Label Shall Include “Blueberries”.

·       There Shall Appear On The Label In Conjunction With Or In Close Proximity To The Word “Blueberries”, The Packing Medium: “With (Name Of Sweetener And Whether As Such Or As The Syrup)”.

PACKAGING

·       Protect The Organoleptic And Other Quality Characteristics Of The Product;

·       Protect The Product Against Microbiological And Other Contamination;

·       Protect The Product From Dehydration And, Where Appropriate, Leakage As Far As Technologically Practicable;

·       Do Not Pass On To The Product Any Odour, Taste, Colour Or Other Foreign Characteristics Throughout The Processing (Where Applicable) And Distribution Of The Product Up To The Time Of Final Sale.

METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING

·       For Checking The 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.