PINEAPPLE 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 horticultural products that consistently keep up a high quality to the market hence customer satisfaction
  2. Enhance quality of the horticultural products thereby helping the enterprises to reduce extra costs that rejection of produce comes with.

 

Common Standards

1. SCOPE OF THE STANDARD 
Rwanda standard applies to commercial varieties of pineapples grown from Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. Of the Bromeliaceous family, to be supplied fresh to the consumer, after preparation and packaging. This standard provides guidance on the quality of pineapples from the harvesting, handling, grading, transport and packaging stages to marketing. It also specifies provisions concerning quality, sizing tolerances and presentation of the fruit to the market. Pineapples for ornamental use or industrial processing are excluded.

2. APPLICATION OF THE STANDARD 
The standard is to define the quality requirements for fresh pineapples after preparation and packaging. However, if applied at stages after point of sale or following export, produce may show in relation to the requirements of the standard:
(a) a slight lack of freshness and turgidity
(b) a slight deterioration due to their development and their tendency to perish.
Compliance with the provisions of this standard shall not excuse failure to comply with provisions of applicable national laws.
This standard is applicable to fresh pineapples with or without tops provided that pineapples with tops attached or with tops removed may not be commingled in the same container.

 

Terms and Definitions

Under the terms and definitions, the following shall apply

  1. Turgidity:A cellular state in which a plant cell, having absorbed water, is in a state of tension
  2. Discoloration: When more than 10 percent of the crown leaves are discoloured.
  3. Mechanical or other means:  When physical injury (cleanliness, mechanical damage) more than slightly affects the appearance of the pineapple.
  4. Bruising: When any bruise extends into flesh more than 6.35 mm and when a bruise or combination of bruises affects an aggregate area of a circle more than 38.1 mm in diameter
  5. Sunburn: When there is bleaching and a slight softening of the shell affecting an aggregate area more than 38.1 mm in diameter.
  6. Gummosis: When gum deposits penetrate into the flesh or causes discoloration of the shell affecting an aggregate area more than 6.35 mm in diameter.
  7. Internal breakdown:  When more than 5 percent of the edible flesh has a distinct light brown to medium brown discoloration which more than slightly detracts from the appearance or edible quality of the fruit.
  8. Insects and insect feeding: When an aggregate area more than 12.7 mm in diameter has any insects attached to the surface (e.g. scale) or any injury from insect feeding, which more than slightly detracts from the appearance, edible, or shipping quality of the fruit.
  9. Healed cracks:  When healed cracks more than slightly detract from the appearance, edible, or shipping quality of the fruit.
  10. Mechanical or other means:       When physical injury (cleanliness, mechanical damage) more than slightly affects the appearance or edible quality of the pineapple.

 

Quality Requirements

The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements for pineapples after preparation and packaging.
 
a) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 
 
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the pineapples must be:
 
  intact, complete with the crown, which may be reduced and/or trimmed;
  fresh in appearance, including the crown, which should be free of wilted, dry, loose or damaged leaves;
  sound, produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded;
  clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter;
  free of internal browning;
  practically free of pests;
  practically free of damage caused by pests;
  free of pronounced blemishes, in particular unhealed cuts, bruising, scorching, holes, cracks (healed or not);
  free of damage caused by chilling or by high temperature;
  free of abnormal external moisture;
  free of any foreign smell and/or taste.
  When a peduncle (stem) is present, it shall be no longer than 2.0 cm long and the cut must be transversal, straight and clean.
 
The development and condition of the pineapples must be such as to enable them:
  to withstand transport and handling, and
  to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.
b) MATURITY REQUIREMENTS 
 
The fruit must be physiologically ripe, i.e. without evidence of un ripeness (opaque, flavorless, exceedingly porous flesh) or over-ripeness (exceedingly translucent or fermented flesh).
 
A transverse section of the fruit must not reveal flesh that is excessively fibrous or lacking in aroma. 
The “eyes” should be well filled, according to the characteristics of the variety.
The pineapples must have been carefully picked and have reached an appropriate degree of maturity and ripeness in accordance with criteria proper to the variety and/or commercial type and to the area in which they are grown.
The total soluble solids content of the fruit flesh should be at least 12° Brix. For the determination of Brix degrees, a sample of the juice representative of all the fruit shall be taken.
 
c) CLASSIFICATION 
Pineapples can be classified into three main categories, Extra Class, Call I and Class II
I. “Extra” Class 
Pineapples in this class must be of superior quality. They must be characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type.
They must be free from defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided that these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.
The crown, if present, shall be simple and straight with no sprouts, and shall be between 50 and 150% of the length of the fruit for pineapples with untrimmed crowns.
Pineapples in this class shall meet the following specific requirements:

Basic requirements for fruit:

 

Basic requirements for tops:

 
  • Similar varietal characteristics;
  • Mature and fresh in appearance
  • Well formed, firm and well-developed eyes; and,
  • Stems removed.
  • Similar varietal characteristic color;
  • Single stem;
  • Moderately straight;
  • Well attached to fruit; and,
  • Not more than 1.5 times the length of the fruit.

Fruit free from :

  • Fresh cracks;
  • Evidence of rodent feeding;
  • Freezing injury or frozen;
  • Overripe; and,
  • Decay

Tops free from :

  • Crown slips;
  • Freezing injury or frozen; and,
  • Decay

Fruit free from injury by :

  • Bruising;
  • Sunburn;
  • Gummosis;
  • Internal breakdown;
  • Insects;
  • Healed cracks; and,
  • Mechanical or other means

Tops free from injury by :

  • Discoloration; and,
  • Insects.

 

II. Class I

Pineapples in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type.  The following slight defects 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, including sun-scorch/sun-spots/sun-burns;
  • The defects must not, in any case, affect the pulp of the fruit.

The crown may be simple or double and straight or slightly curved, with no side-shoots and should not exceed 150 per cent of the length of the fruit. The maximum inclination of the crown should not exceed 30° from the longitudinal axis of the fruit.

The pineapples in this class shall meet the following specific requirements:

 

Basic requirements for fruit :

  • Similar varietal characteristics;
  • Mature and fresh in appearance;
  • Well formed, firm and well-developed eyes; and,
  • Stems removed.

Basic requirements for tops :

  • Similar varietal characteristic color;
  • Single stem;
  • Not more than moderately curved;
  • Well attached to fruit; and,
  • Not more than twice the length of the fruit.

Fruit free from :

  • Fresh cracks;
  • Evidence of rodent feeding;
  • Freezing injury or frozen;
  • Overripe; and,
  • Decay.

 

Tops free from :

  • Freezing injury or frozen; and,
  • Decay.

Fruit free from damage by:

  • Bruising;
  • Sunburn;
  • Gummosis;
  • Internal breakdown;
  • Insects;
  • Healed cracks; and,
  • Mechanical or other means.

Tops free from damage by:

  • Discoloration;
  • Crown slips; and,
  • Insects.

 

III. Class II

This class includes pineapples that do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but satisfy the minimum requirements specified above.

The following defects may be allowed, provided the pineapples retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation:

  • defects in shape;
  • defects in coloring, including sun-scorch;
  • skin defects (i.e. scratches, scars, scrapes, bruises and blemishes) not exceeding 8 per cent of the total surface area.

The defects shall not, in any case, affect the pulp of the fruit.

The crown may be simple or double and straight or curved, with no side-shoots. The pineapples in this class must be

Basic requirements for fruit  :

  • Similar varietal characteristics
  • Mature and,
  • Fairly well formed

Basic requirements for tops :

  • Similar varietal characteristic color
  • Well attached to fruit
  • Not completely curved over; and,
  • Not more than two fairly well developed stems

Fruit free from :

  • Fresh cracks;
  • Evidence of rodent feeding;
  • Freezing injury or frozen;
  • Overripe; and,
  • Decay.

Tops free from :

  • Freezing injury or frozen; and,
  • Decay.

Fruit free from serious damage by :

  • Bruising;
  • Sunburn
  • Gummosis;
  • Internal breakdown;
  • Insects;
  • Healed cracks; and,
  • Mechanical or other means.

Tops free from serious damage by:

  • Discoloration; and,
  • Insects.

 

Classification by exterior coloring 
Color criteria of the fruit are as follows    C0:  totally green exterior   C1: beginning to turn yellow/orange on ¼ of the fruit surface   C2:  yellow/orange on ½ of the fruit surface
 
d) PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION 
I. UNIFORMITY
 
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only pineapples of the same origin, variety or commercial type, quality and size.
 
In addition, for the “Extra” Class, uniformity in coloring and maturity is required.
 
The visible part of the contents of the package shall be representative of the entire contents.
 
II. PACKAGING 
 
Pineapples must be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly.
The material used inside the package must be new, 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 labeling has been done with non-toxic ink or glue.
Stickers individually affixed on the produce shall be such that, when removed, neither leave visible traces of glue, nor lead to skin defects.
 
Pineapples shall be packed in each container in compliance with the CAC/RCP 44. The containers shall meet the quality, hygiene, ventilation and resistance characteristics to ensure suitable handling, shipping and preserving of the pineapples. Packages must be free of all foreign matter and smell.
 
III. PRESENTATION 
 
The pineapples may be presented:
 
  laid down horizontally in the package,
  stood up vertically in the package with the crowns uppermost.
e) PROVISION CONCERNING MARKING FOR EXPORT 
CONSUMER PACKAGES 
 
The following specific provisions apply:
 
I. NATURE OF PRODUCE 
 
If the produce is not visible from the outside, each package should be labeled as to the name of the produce and may be labeled as to name of the variety and/or commercial type. The absence of the crown should be indicated.
 
II. NON-RETAIL 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.
 
III. IDENTIFICATION
 
The exporter, packer and/or dispatcher shall be identified by name and physical address (e.g. street/city/region/postal code and, if different from the country of origin, the country) or a code mark officially recognized by the national authority.
 
NOTE     The national legislation of a number of countries requires the explicit declaration of the name and address. However, in the case where a code mark is used, the reference "packer and/or dispatcher (or equivalent abbreviations)" has to be indicated in close connection with the code mark, and the code mark should be preceded by the ISO 3166 (alpha) country/area code of the recognizing country, if not the country of origin.
 
IV. NATURE OF PRODUCE
 
Name of the produce if the contents are not visible from the outside. Name of the variety or commercial type (optional). The absence of the crown should be indicated.
 
V. ORIGIN OF PRODUCE 
 
Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown or national, regional or local place name.
 
VI. COMMERCIAL IDENTIFICATION 
 
  •   Class;
  •   Size (recognised size code or average weight in grams);
  •   Number of fruits;
  •   Net weight (optional).
  •   Coloration code (optional);
  •   Tare weight (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 pineapple to meet the market demand and improve income.