Description

· Quick Frozen French Fried Potatoes Is The Product Prepared From Clean, Mature, Sound Tubers Of The Potato Plant Conforming To The Characteristics Of The Species Solanum Tuberosum L. Such Tubers Shall Have Been Sorted, Washed, Peeled, Cut Into Strips, And Treated As Necessary To Achieve Satisfactory Colour And Fried In Edible Oil Or Fat. The Treatment And Frying Operations Shall Be Sufficient To Ensure Adequate Stability Of Colour And Flavour During Normal Marketing Cycles.

· Quick Frozen French Fried Potatoes Is The Product Subjected To A Freezing Process In Appropriate Equipment And Complying With The Conditions Laid Down Hereafter. The 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 -18C (0of) At The Thermal Centre After Thermal Stabilization.

· Quick Frozen French Fried Potatoes Is The Product Subjected To A Freezing Process In Appropriate Equipment And Complying With The Conditions Laid Down Hereafter. The 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 -18oc (0of) At The Thermal Centre After Thermal Stabilization.

· Styles :- The Styles Of The Product Shall Be Determined By The Nature Of The Surface And The Nature Of The Cross Section.

Nature Of The Surface :-

· Straight Cut – Strips Of Potato With Practically Parallel Sides And With Smooth Surfaces.

· Crinkle Cut – Strips Of Potato With Practically Parallel Sides And In Which Two Or More Sides Have A Corrugated Surface.

· The Cross Sectional Dimensions Of Strips Of Quick Frozen French Fried Potatoes Which Have Been Cut On All Four Sides Shall Not Be Less Than 5 Mm When Measured In The Frozen Condition. The Quick Frozen French Fried Potatoes Within Each Pack Shall Be Of Similar Cross Sections.

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

Optional Ingredients :-

· Sugars (Sucrose, Invert Sugar, Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose Syrup, Dried Glucose Syrup) As Defined By The Codex Alimentarius Commission;

· Salt (Sodium Chloride);

· Condiments, Such As Herbs And Spices.

General Requirements :-

· Be Free From Any Foreign Flavours And Odours;

· Be Clean, Sound And Practically Free From Foreign Matter;

· Have A Reasonably Uniform Colour;

· Without Excessive External Defects Such As Blemishes, Eyes And Discolouration;

· Without Excessive Sorting Effects, Such As Slivers, Small Pieces And Scrap;

· Reasonably Free From Frying Defects, Such As Burnt Parts.

· Have A Reasonably Uniform Colour;

· Have A Texture Characteristic Of The Product And Be Neither Excessively Hard Nor Excessively Soft Or Soggy.

Analytical Requirements :-

· Moisture – The Maximum Moisture Content Of The Whole Product In The Styles Shoestring, Medium And Thick Cut Shall Be 76% M/M; And In Extra Large And Other Styles 78% M/M.

· The Fat Or Oil Extracted From The Product Shall Have A Free Fatty Acid Content Of Not More Than 1.5% M/M Measured As Oleic Acid Or An Equivalent Fatty Acid Value Based On The Predominant Fatty Acid In The Fat Or Oil.

Definition Of Visual Defects :- External Defects Are Blemishes Or Discolouration (Either Internally Or On The Surface) Due To Exposure To Light, Mechanical, Pathological Or Pest Agents, Eye Material Or Peeling Remnants.

· Minor Defect – A Unit Affected By Disease, Dark Or Intense Discolouration, Eye Material, Or Dark Peel Covering An Area Or A Circle Greater That 3 Mm But Less Than 7 Mm In Diameter; Pale Brown Peel Or Light Discolouration Of Any Area Greater Than 3 Mm In Diameter.

· Major Defect – A Unit Affected By Disease, Dark Or Intense Discolouration, Eye Material, Or Dark Peeling Covering An Area Or A Circle Greater Than 7 Mm But Less Than 12 Mm In Diameter.

· Serious Defect – A Unit Affected By Disease, Dark Or Intense Discolouration, Eye Material, Or Dark Peel Covering An Area Or A Circle Of 12 Mm In Diameter Or More.

Sorting Defects :-

· Sliver – A Very Thin Unit (Generally An Edge Piece) Which Will Pass Through A Slot The Width Of Which Is 50% Of The Minimum Dimension Of The Nominal Or Normal Size.

· Small Piece – Any Unit Less Than 25 Mm In Length.

· Scrap – Potato Material Of Irregular Form Not Conforming To The General Conformation Of French Fried Potatoes.

· Burnt Pieces – Any Unit Which Is Dark Brown And Hard Due To Gross Overfrying.

· The Standard Sample Size Shall Be 1 Kilogram Me.

· Definition Of “Defective” For Analytical Requirements :- See Relevant Codex Texts On Methods Of Analysis And Sampling.

FOOD ADDITIVES

Sequestrants :-

· Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Ethylene Diamine Tetra-Acetic Acid (Ca-Dina Salt) – 100 Mg/Kg Singly Or In Combination (Phosphates Expressed As P2O5)

· Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Malic Acid – Limited By GMP

Processing Aids :-

· Sulphite, Bisulphite, Metabisulphite (Sodium Or Potassium Salt) – 50 Mg/Kg, Singly Or In Combination, Expressed As SO2

· Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide , Citric Acid – Limited By GMP

· Dimethylpolysiloxane – 10 Mg/Kg On A Fat Basis

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:

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

· 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 Shall Apply:

The Name Of The Food :-

· The Name Of The Food As Declared On The Label Shall Include The Designation “French Fried Potatoes” Or The Equivalent Designation Used In The Country In Which The Product Is Intended To Be Sold.

· In Addition, There Shall Appear On The Label A Designation Of The Style As Appropriate, I.E. “Straight Cut” Or “Crinkle Cut” And There May Also Appear An Indication Of The Approximate Dimensions Of The Cross Section Or The Appropriate Designation, I.E. “Shoestring”, “Medium”, “Thick Cut” Or “Extra Large”.

· If The Product Is Produced In Accordance With Section 2.4.2, The Label Shall Contain In Close Proximity To The Words “French Fried Potatoes” Such Additional Words Or Phrases That Will Avoid Misleading Or Confusing The Consumer.

· The Packages Shall Bear Clear Directions For Keeping From The Time They Are Purchased From The Retailer To The Time Of Their Use, As Well As Directions For Cooking.

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;

· 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.