International Produce Training

With a shortage of cucumbers due to the weather conditions, you have probably noticed a difference in the quality of cucumbers at your warehouse.  You may have noticed a few more scars, and misshapen cucumbers.  Although these defects do detract from the appearance of the cucumbers, cucumbers that are scarred or misshapen will not become worse…..meaning the scars will not increase in size, nor will the cucumber become ‘more’ misshapen.  On the other hand, there is a very common condition defect that you most likely have seen, shriveled ends, which do become worse over time.  The shriveled ends will increase in size and depth, and cucumbers that showed no evidence of shriveled ends may develop shriveled ends.

As you can see from the cucumbers shown above, the shriveled ends take on different looks, or different degrees of shriveling.  The USDA offers no specific guidelines as to how shriveled ends are to be scored, or not be scored as defects.  There are no visual aids to assist inspectors with this defect.  I can tell you from experience, as a former trainer for the USDA, there is great confusion among USDA inspectors with scoring this defect.  Some inspectors would treat this defect as a “free from” defect, meaning if they saw any amount of shriveled end, they would score it as a defect.  While other inspectors would steadfastly refuse to score the cucumbers with shriveled ends, unless they affected an area of at least 1 inch in diameter on the cucumber.  The discussions would be quite lively, to say the least.

I can pass along the scoring guideline that was agreed upon by most, if not all inspectors throughout the country. 

• The top cucumber would not be scored as a defect. 
• The bottom cucumber would be scored as defect, as damage. 
• The cucumber pictured in the middle was the most controversial.  The majority of the inspectors did agree to score this cucumber as damage by shriveled ends….but some argued they would never score this as a defect. 

By having no specific scoring guidelines the USDA surely lacks uniformity amongst their inspectors with scoring this defect.

But with no official guideline in place, remember that the majority of USDA inspectors are scoring cucumbers with shriveled ends that have same amount as the middle cucumber, or worse.  Hopefully this will help you with your cucumber inspections.

With shipments of stone fruit coming to an end from Chile, and getting ready to start up from California, now may be a good time to mention a commonly found defect of apricots, but many times overlooked.  As with all stone fruit, skin breaks can be a serious defect.  But with apricots, because the fruit is soft and the skin is susceptible to skin breaks and abrasions, the defect is frequently encountered.

The image above depicts a skin break in the stem basin, most likely occurring when the fruit was picked.  Even though this break covers a large area, it is considered as being a healed skin break.  The flesh is dry, with no juice exuding from the break.  Regardless of the location of the skin break, or if the skin break is fresh or healed, this defect for apricots is a “free from” defect, and is always scored against the tolerance for serious damage.  Remember, “free from” means any skin break, regardless of the size of the break, even those resulting from stem punctures, from adjoining apricots.  Even if the apricot only had one small skin break, like the ones affecting the shoulder, the apricot would still be scored as serious damage defect.

The tolerances for apricots are:  10% tolerance for defects, including not more that 5% for serious damage, including not more than 1% for decay.  If you encounter skin breaks on apricots, the U.S. Grade Standard only allows 5%.  For example, if your sample size is 50 apricots, and you find 3 apricots with skin breaks or punctures, you would have 6% serious damage, exceeding the 5% tolerance allowed for serious damage defects.

If you are wondering why the grade standard is so restrictive, it is because any type of skin break is an entry point for decay.  Molds, such as Blue Mold Rot and Gray Mold Rot can easily infect an apricot with a skin break.

Whether you are inspecting nectarines from Chile, California, or the East Coast, you may run into some varying degrees of surface discoloration.  Somewhere along the chain, the nectarines were subject to some rough handling, that injured the cells of the skin, leading to oxidation, or discoloring of the skin.

This surface discoloration may appear light brown in color, or in advanced stages appear dark brown or even black.  The discolored area may feel smooth, but in some cases the discolored areas will begin to sink.  If you carefully cut below the surface you will see that the flesh is rarely affected.  Because the discoloration is considered to be a condition defect, the discolored area will become larger in area, may become darker in color, and the discolored area may develop into sunken areas.  Do not confuse this with decay.  This skin is only discolored, it is not soft and mushy.  I have never seen decay develop from the discolored areas.

The USDA Inspection Instructions and Standards do not address this common defect.  There is no official scoring guideline.  But using scoring guidelines for similar defects, we do have some basis to follow.  If the discoloration was due to heat injury, sprayburn or sunburn the USDA Standard states to score the nectarine as a defect whenever the normal color of the skin has materially changed…..meaning it should be scored on site.  That seems to be to strict of a scoring guideline.  If scars are found, the USDA Standard allows for up to 5/8 inch in area for a fairly light colored, smooth scar.  If the scar is dark in color, the standard allows for a smaller area, 3/8 inch.  The guideline for scars seems reasonable, meaning if you encounter surface discoloration, as shown in the image above, it would be scored as a defect, exceeding the 3/8 inch area allowed for a dark colored scar.

A common defect you can expect to find, when inspecting avocados is surface discoloration.  Discoloration can have many different looks, such as discoloration caused from russeting, from sunburn, or from unexplained transit or physiological  conditions.

As seen above, this is typically how you will see discoloration on your avocados.  It will range from a dark brown to black in color and may affect only a small area or most of the fruit.  Remember not to confuse discoloration with the natural ripening process of some avocados.  And also, even though the discoloration will blend in after the the avocado ripens, you still base your inspection on what are seeing right now, not what it might look like in a few days.

But how do you score this is a defect?  The U.S. Grade Standards offer a little help with a scoring guideline, but it still takes some interpretation.  If the discoloration is light brown in color you are allowed up to 10% of the surface with discoloration.  If the color is lighter, you are allowed a greater area, if the discoloration is darker in color (than light brown) you would be allowed less than 10% of the surface being affected by discoloration.

With 50% of the surface showing in the above image, I have illustrated 25% of the surface area with the white line and 12.5% (1/2 of 25%) with the orange line.  The red circle depicts approximately 10% of the surface area, the maximum allowed for light brown surface discoloration.

So obviously the discolored avocado shown above would be scored as a defect.  It easily surpasses the area allowed for damage (10%) and the area allowed for serious damage (25%).  Because the discoloration is black in color you would be allowed less of an area allowed for light brown discoloration…..in this case about half the area.  With black discoloration you would allow approximately 5% of the area affected before scoring the avocado as damage, and 10% of the area affected before being scored as serious damage.

Scars on honeydews…..are they defects?  We are talking about scars, that occur while the honeydew is growing.  The scars do not progress, or become worse. 

As you can see from the above image, I would score two honeydews as defects, damage by scars.  I decided to research the USDA inspection instructions for some guidance.  There is no mention of scars in their inspection instructions.  After checking the U.S. Grade Standard for Honeydews I was surprised to find no mention of scarring there either. 

As is the rule, established by the USDA, when no specific scoring guideline is given, you should default to the guideline “if the defect materially affects the appearance, then it should be scored as damage, a defect of the U.S. No. 1 Grade.”  Looking at the two melons I scored as defects, the scars obviously materially affect the appearance, right?

It becomes a little more confusing if you call the scars pictured above as netting.  The USDA inspection instructions do mention netting on honeydews, stating, “Netting on honeydew or honey ball type melons, either raised or occurring as shallow checks in the skin, shall not be scored as damage. Deep checks materially affecting the appearance of the melon are considered damage.”  Are these considered deep checks?  Unfortunately the USDA does not have any visual aids depicting netting on honeydews, specifically what are considered “deep checks.”  In my 30 plus years of working with the USDA I never heard this topic come up.

In the meantime, I would say it is fair to say the honeydew in the bottom left is considered light netting, and would not be scored as a defect.  But if you find honeydews with netting affecting the surface in such a way the appearance is materially affected, they should be scored as defects.

With the Chilean fruit hitting your warehouses, always be on the lookout for freezing injury.  Sometimes in Table Grapes it is difficult to detect, especially if the freezing injury is only slight, or only located in a few pallets.  Remember, the grapes arriving from Chile are transported by ship, being on the water for 10 or more days.  The grapes are stored in the very low 30′s on the ship, to ensure fresh product arrives.  After being unloaded from the ships the grapes may be placed in a cooler, until shipment.  And finally, the grapes are loaded onto refrigerated trailers, and sent to your warehouse.  As you can see there are many opportunities for the grapes to be exposed to freezing temperatures, throughout the cold chain.

If the grapes have been frozen, they will usually be easy to identify, as they become badly discolored,  and will be weak and soft.  If the grapes have only been frozen slightly, the berries may not show any discoloration until they warm up.  But even if the grapes have only been slightly affected you should be able to notice the freezing injury affecting the stems.  Since the berries have a high amount of sugar, their freezing point is about 28° F.  Stems will usually freeze at higher temps, and will become glassy and translucent.  So always examine the stems closely if you suspect the grapes have been subjected to freezing temperatures.

All freezing injury is considered a serious damage defect; the U.S. Grade Standards allow a tolerance of 4%, with an individual container tolerance of 8%.  Chances are if you find some lugs with freezing injury the serious damage tolerance will be exceeded and the grapes will fail to grade U.S. No. 1.

One of the more difficult defects to detect on cantaloups is fusarium decay.  Many inspectors do come across this defect, but are not aware it is actually decay.  When I point this out during a training class, I always hear, “Oh, I’ve seen this before, but didn’t know what it was.”

From this official USDA visual aid, you can see this looks like a scar, or blemish on the surface of the cantaloup.  It is firm and dry, and would give you no reason to think this could be a problem.  But if you carefully cut (slice) this apparent scar, you may encounter the fusarium decay.

If the area you cut is only a scar, there will be no discernible damage under the surface.  If the area you cut is fusarium decay the underlying flesh will be affected by a reddish-brown discoloration.  The extent the fusarium decay goes into the flesh may vary, depending if it is in early or advanced stages of the decay.

As the fusarium decay advances, it will become much easier to detect.  The surface may be cracked, and weak to the touch.  Sometimes a white mold will be visible.  After making your slice the advanced fusarium may be soft, and moisture may exude from the decayed area if you apply pressure.

As with all decays in cantaloups, the U.S. Grade Standards only allow a 2% tolerance for decay, whether the decay is soft and mushy, affecting the stem scars or the sides of the melon, or being the dry-type, fusarium decay.  Decay is decay.

If you find bruising affecting bunched broccoli or broccoli crowns don’t look to the USDA Inspection Service to answer your questions.  While being a trainer at the USDA’s Training and Development Center for years, it was obvious to me and the entire training staff that the inspectors were all over the board on whether to score this as a defect or to ignore it.

From the USDA inspectors that flat out refused to score bruising on broccoli as defect they would say, “The bruising is due to the broccoli being packed; there is nothing that can be done to prevent it.”  That sounds logical, and makes sense. 

Although the USDA has never attempted to clarify this issue, the USDA’s own Inspection Instructions for Broccoli devote two “entire” sentences to this defect stating, “Bruising may result  from a very tight pack, excessive pack ice or rough handling.  Score as damage when serious enough to materially affect the appearance of the bunch, as serious damage when seriously detracts from the appearance of the bunch.”  As you can see, the USDA’s Inspection Instructions do not state to ignore this defect.

So, it is a defect, and if you feel the bruising materially affects the appearance, meaning a consumer may not purchase the bunch, then you should score bruising on broccoli as a defect.  You would be allowed up to 10% of the bunches with damage by bruising.

And lastly, the USDA has not developed any visual aids depicting when bruising is scored as a defect.  In the absence of any official visual aids, I suggest you use the above image as your guideline.  I would score this bunch as a defect, because the one stalk on the left is bruised.  If the bruising was not as bad as shown above, only slightly bruised, then ignore the bruising and do not score it as a defect.

Assume for a minute you are inspecting a load of lettuce.  You come across some heads (See image below) that have a distinct discoloration affecting the veins and midribs.  One thing you know for certain is the discoloration definitely materially affects the appearance of the head, thus you would score it as a defect.

But what is this defect called?  This picture was sent to me from a person training to be a fruit and vegetable inspector in South Korea.  Although I only have a few pictures to view, it appears this inspector-in-training may have found lettuce affected with a defect called Rusty Brown Discoloration.  The cause of this defect is unknown, but has been found in lettuce grown in Arizona or California.  This defect is not commonly found, and I would venture to guess most of the younger USDA inspectors have never seen this defect in their careers.  I have seen Rusty Brown Discoloration only a few times during my 30 plus years, and I have yet to come across it during the past 15 years.

Again, because I only have a picture to go by, I am not 100% sure this lettuce is affected by Rusty Brown Discoloration, but the symptoms make it highly likely.  The discoloration will affect the midribs and veins and will eventually cover the entire crown.  The discoloration spreads quickly on the head, and is always scored as a serious defect.  The U.S. No. 1 Grade for Lettuce only allows 6% serious damage defects.

Shown above is the official USDA visual aid depicting Rusty Brown Discoloration.  This visual aid was developed in 1970.  Please share your thoughts if you have seen this defect recently, as everyone would enjoy hearing the comments associated with this defect.

Other than decay affecting the curds, keeping an eye out for discolored curds is the most common defect you will find.  The longer the caulifloweris stored, the more likely the curds will oxidize, and discolor.  The discoloration will appear in different stages, first appearing as a light tan or brown, then advancing in size and the color will change to a dark brown to black in color.

Although the dicoloration is harmless, it does affect the marketability.  The discoloration is also a prelude to decay, which is a soft, mushy type decay affecting the curds.

The cauliflower shown above depicts the numerous brown discolored spots affecting the curds.  Be careful to check for any decay, softly touching the discolored spots with the tip of your knife.  If you find the discolored curds you now have to determine if the discoloration is a defect.   The USDA Inspection Instructions do provide some specific guidelines: 

• Score as damage, dark brown or black spots when a single spot exceeds 5/8 inch in diameter, as serious damage when the spot exceeds 1-1/4 inches in diameter on a cauliflower 6 inches in diameter (correspondingly lesser or greater areas on smaller or larger head). 
  

• Score numerous small (5/8 inch or less in diameter) dark brown or black spots as damage or serious damage when they detract from the appearance to a greater extent than that allowed for a single spot. 
  

• Any other shades of discoloration lighter than dark brown or black shall be scored as damage or serious damage when the appearance is affected to a greater extent than that permitted for dark brown or black discoloration.

Let’s walk through the scoring guideline, using the cauliflower shown above. 

Are there any spots larger than 5/8 inch in diameter or larger, or do they aggregate (all the spots combined) ?  All the spots are less than 5/8 inch, but by combining the spots they easily aggregate more than 5/8 inch.  

Are there any spots that would be considered as dark brown or black?  No, these spots are lighter in color.   Therefore the discolored curds is not a defect……right?    Wrong. 

So now comes the subjective part…..do the numerous brown discolored spots, aggregating more than 5/8 inch, affect the appearance to a greater extent than that permitted for dark brown or black discoloration?  Yes, absolutely, so this cauliflower would be scored as damage, a defect of the U.S. No. 1 Grade.

This cauliflower is more cut and dry. 

Is the discoloration dark brown or black?  Yes! 

Is the discolored area larger than 5/8 inch in diameter?  Yes! 

Therefore this cauliflower would be scored as a defect, simply by measuring the discolored spot, not subject to judgment or subjectivity.