GOOSEBERRY QUALITY STANDARDS

Introduction

These Quality standards are designed to ensure that the horticultural enterprises meet the minimum requirements to become an integral part of the market, whether export or local.

Quality isn’t just about profits and loss or beating out a competitor. It’s about safety, delivering on a promise and meeting the very basics of customer expectations. But, by meeting quality standards, enterprises often reap better profits and reduce losses. Those that exceed quality standards stand out above their competitors and further their potential for profit and consumer loyalty. Therein rests the benefit of quality standards.

Today, quality assurance measures the standards that go into a product or service before it goes out to the public. Quality assurance uses auditors, sometimes independent and sometimes in-house, to evaluate the methods that go into making products and providing services. In this set up, the Commercial Village Trade Facilitators will help train and audit the farmers horticultural produce before reaching the market.

This module will help   achieve the following:

  1. Improve enterprises’ ability to deliver gooseberry that consistently keep up a high quality to the market hence customer satisfaction
  2. Enhance gooseberry quality thereby helping the enterprises to reduce extra costs that rejection of produce comes with.

Figure 1 Cape gooseberry fully ripe Source https://www.123rf.com/photo_136863507_cape-gooseberry-or-physalis-an-edible-fruit-of-physalis-peruviana-isolated.html

 

Common Standards

1.SCOPE OF THE STANDARD  

This Standard applies to commercial varieties of cape gooseberries grown from Physalis peruviana

(L.), of the Solanaceae family, to be supplied fresh to the consumer, after preparation and packaging. Cape gooseberries for industrial processing are excluded.

1.APPLICATION OF THE STANDARD

The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements of gooseberry after preparation and packaging.

 

Quality Requirements

In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the cape

gooseberries must be:

  • whole, with or without calyx;
  • clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter;
  • practically free of pests affecting the general appearance of the produce;
  • practically free of damage caused by pests;
  • free of abnormal external moisture, excluding condensation following removal from cold storage;
  • free of any foreign smell and/or taste;
  • firm;
  • fresh in appearance;
  • with a smooth and shiny skin.
  • sound, produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded;

 

If the calyx is present, the peduncle must not exceed 25 mm in length.

The cape gooseberries must have reached an appropriate degree of development and ripeness account being taken of the characteristics of the variety and the area in which they are grown.

The development and condition of the cape gooseberries must be such as to enable them:

  • to withstand transport and handling; and
  • to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination. 

Maturity Requirements  

The maturity of the Cape gooseberry can be visually assessed from its external coloring, which changes from green to orange as the fruit ripens. Its condition can be confirmed by determining total soluble solids.

  • A change in coloring of the calyx is not indicative of ripening of the fruit.
  • The soluble solids content should be at least 14.0°Brix.

a)CLASSIFICATION

Cape gooseberries are classified in three classes defined below, regardless of size and color:

I) EXTRA CLASS  
Cape gooseberries in this class must be of superior quality. They must be characteristic of the variety
and/ or commercial type. They must be free of defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.
 
i) CLASS 1 
Cape gooseberries in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic of the variety
And/or commercial type. 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:
  •   slight defects in shape;
  •   slight defects in coloring;
  •   slight skin defects. T
The defects must not, in any case, affect the pulp of the fruit.
 
ii) CLASS  II 
This class includes cape gooseberries which do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but
satisfy the minimum requirements specified in Section 2.1 above. The following defects, however, may be allowed, provided the cape gooseberries retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality, the general appearance and presentation:
  •   defects in shape;
  •   defects in coloring;
  •   skin defects;
  • small healed cracks not covering more than 5% of the total surface area of the fruit.
The defects must not, in any case, affect the pulp of the fruit.
 

 

PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING  

Size is determined by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section of the fruit, with a minimum diameter of 15 mm, in accordance with the following table:

Size Code

Diameter (mm)

A

15.0 – 18.0

B

18.1 – 20.0

C

20.1 – 22.0

D

≥22.1

 

PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES

Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package for produce not satisfying the requirements of the class indicated.

QUALITY TOLERANCES

 
  1. EXTRA CLASS  

Five percent by number or weight of cape gooseberries with or without calyx not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of Class I or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class.

  1.  CLASS I

Ten percent by number or weight of cape gooseberries with or without calyx not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of Class II or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class.

  1. CLASS II

Ten percent by number or weight of cape gooseberries with or without calyx satisfying neither the requirements of the class nor the minimum requirements, with the exception of produce affected by severe bruising, rotting or any other deterioration rendering it unfit for consumption. Up to a maximum of 20% by number or weight of fruit with small healed cracks covering an area greater than 5% is accepted in this class.

B. Size Tolerances

For all classes, 10% by number or weight of cape gooseberries corresponding to the size immediately above and/or below that indicated on the package.

PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION

  1. UNIFORMITY  

The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only cape gooseberries of the same origin,

Variety, quality, coloring, size and type of presentation (with or without calyx). The visible part of the

contents of the package must be representative of the entire contents.

  1. PACKAGING

Cape gooseberries must be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly. The materials used

inside the package must be new3, clean, and of a quality such as to avoid causing any external or internal damage to the produce. The use of materials, particularly of paper or stamps bearing trade specifications is allowed, provided the printing or labelling has been done with non-toxic ink or glue.

Cape gooseberries shall be packed in each container in compliance with the Recommended International Code of Practice for Packaging and Transport of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CAC/RCP 44- 1995).

  1. DESCRIPTION OF CONTAINERS

The containers shall meet the quality, hygiene, ventilation and resistance characteristics to ensure suitable handling, shipping and preserving of the cape gooseberries. Packages must be free of all foreign matter and smell.

PROVISION CONCERNING MARKING  

 
  • CONSUMER PACKAGES

In addition to the requirements of the Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods

(CODEX STAN 1-1985), the following specific provisions apply:

  • NATURE OF PRODUCE  

If the produce is not visible from the outside, each package shall be labelled as to the name of the

produce and may be labelled as to name of the variety and/or commercial type.

  • NON RETAILER CONTAINERS  

Each package must bear the following particulars, in letters grouped on the same side, legibly and

indelibly marked, and visible from the outside, or in the documents accompanying the shipment.

  • IDENTIFICATION

Name and address of exporter, packer and/or dispatcher. Identification code (optional)

  • ORIGIN OF THE PRODUCE

Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown or national, regional or local place name.

  • COMMERCIAL IDENTIFICATION
  1. Class
  2. Size (size code or minimum and maximum diameter in millimeters)
  3. Number of units (optional)
  4. Net weight (optional)

E. Official Inspection Mark (optional)

 

Conclusion

Quality assurance helps a company meet its clients’ demands and expectations. High quality builds trust with customers, which, in turn, makes the enterprises competitive in the market. It saves costs and fixes issues before problems become larger, and it helps to set and maintain quality standards by preventing problems to begin with. Investing in quality assurance is indispensable in many enterprises today. It is most effective when it’s in place from the start. When quality assurance is done right, it provides confidence, tests the product and lets enterprises market their products with few worries.

This module will therefore help the farmers to have knowledge on quality and standards required in processing and packaging gooseberry to meet the market demand and improve income.