International Produce Training

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.

Artichokes usually show very few defects.  Always look carefully for decay affecting the stems, which may or may not be accompanied by mold growth.  The most common defect you may find is surface discoloration.  The discoloration will range from a medium brown color to a dark black.  The area affected will range from a few scales to practically all the scales.

As you can see from the above image, is a fairly typical artichoke.  There is a small amount of surface discoloration affecting a few of the scales.  Is this a defect?  Checking the U.S. Grade Standards and the USDA Inspection Instructions for Artichokes, there is no mention of a guideline for scoring surface discoloration of artichokes.  When no specific guideline is stated you must fall back on the general defintion for “damage” and “serious damage.”  If you feel the discoloration materially affects the appearance of the artichoke, then you would score that artichoke as a defect. 

So, does this discoloration materially affect the appearance of this artichoke?  The answer is “No”, because the discoloration is only slight, this is not a defect.

In this image shown above you can now see that more of the scales are affected by the surface discoloration.  The discoloration on this artichoke does materially affect the appearance, therefore this artichoke would be scored as a defect.  The U.S. Grade Standards for Artichokes allow for 10% defects, in the U.S. No. 1 Grade.  If you found over 10% of the artichokes with this type of discoloration the lot would fail to grade.

With all the varieties of apples on the market, you may think it would be confusing to determine if the apples you are packing or receiving are making the US Grade Standards.  Let’s take a look at Red Delicious, for example.  If the Red Delicious are packed to meeting the US Extra Fancy Grade, the apples must have a minimum of 66% of the surface being a good red color.  If the Red Delicious are packed to meeting the US Fancy Grade the apples must have a minimum of 40% of the surface being a good red color.  If the apple does not meet this requirement, then that apple would be a quality defect, and would be scored against the 10% defect tolerance.

From the image above you see three Red Delicious apples.  The two apples on the left both are considered as having good red color.  As long as over 66% of the surface is showing the good red color, the apples are not a defect.  The apple on the right is not considered as being good red color.  Some of the surface is showing some good red color, but the rest of the apple only has a light red color, what the USDA refers to as compensating color.  It takes twice as much compensating color to equal good red color.  In other words, if an apples is showing 100% of the surface with light red color, or compensating color, then that apples is considered as having 50% good red color.  The USDA does supply visual aids depicting what is considered as good red color and what is considered as compensating color.

Easy right?  Not so fast.  As you have noticed there are many popular varieties on the market.  Fujis, Braeburns, Galas, Jonagolds, Honeycrisps are common today.  The USDA Grade Standards for Apples do not include any color requirements for these varieties.  No color requirements means the apples may have; no good red color, just a blush, or maybe 75% could have good red color, none of which would be a defect of any grades.

Although we don’t see too many Idareds, Staymans or Yorks on the market, the USDA has included color requirements on these varieties for the industry to follow.  The following chart displays the varieties that do have minimum color requirements and the amount of color required to meet the respective grade.

Taking the heat out of freshly harvested romaine and leaf lettuces is essential.  One of the methods commonly used is hydro-cooling.  For the most part it is a very effective method used in the leaf lettuce industry.  Unfortunately one of the drawbacks sometimes results in watersoaked leaves.

As you can see from the image above the leaves affected will show a watersoaked-translucent look.  If you are going to encounter this problem the plants most affected are usually found at the bottom of the carton, where they have been sitting exposed to the cold water.  Plants affected by transit freezing may have this same appearance, but they will be dry, and the location will indicate a pattern of freezing, most likely affecting the plants in the top layer or along one side of the carton.

Plants affected with this watersoaked condition usually have only a few outer leaves affected.  As with other condition defect these plants will also become worse, as the watersoaked areas will become darker in color and may break down into decay, as the affected plant tissues have been injured.  Usually just by trimming a leaf here or there may take care of the problem when placed on the retail shelf, but sometimes the damage is too extensive.

In order to score this as a defect, you would have to have more than 2 leaves materially affected by the watersoaked areas. 

As you can see, the plant on the right has at least three leaves materially affected by the watersoaked condition, without even peeling the outer leaves back.  Overall, the U.S. Grade Standards for Romaine and Leaf Lettuce allow for 10% defects; therefore if you average 2 plants per carton (2 dozen) with the discoloration you would have 8%, while averaging 3 plants per carton you would have 12% discoloration, failing to grade U.S. No. 1.

When inspecting plums it always a good idea to cut a few plums in each sample to look for internal discoloration.  There is usually no external indication which plum might show the problem.  As a common practice, I start cutting the plums with the most give, the riper plums in the sample.  If those plums show indications of internal discoloration then I continue to cut the remainder of  the plums in the sample, leaving the most firm plums for last.  If only the softer plums are showing the problems then I would only cut those plums in subsequent samples.

As you can see from the image above, always make a crosswise cut, in the middle of the plum.  The plums with internal discoloration will show a discolored flesh ranging from a darker than normal flesh color to a very dark color. 

 According to the USDA Inspection Instructions,  if you notice the flesh is darker in color than the normal flesh of a good plum, it is to be scored as Damage.   If the affected flesh shows any dark discoloration or if it is soft, then the plum would be scored as Serious Damage. 

Confused? 

In order to interpret what the USDA is saying, the plum may be scored as Damage or as Serious Damage by internal discoloration, depending on the color of the discoloration.  If it is only slightly discolored, score it as Damage, if it is dark, as shown above, then the plums would be scored as Serious Damage.

What’s the difference, it is still a defect right?  Yes, no matter how dark the internal discoloration appears it is always a defect.  But you are allowed 12% of the plums, with damage by internal discoloration, and only half that amount, or 6% of the plums with serious damage by internal discoloration.

Have you wondered why seedless watermelons have seeds?  And if the watermelons with seeds are defects? 

Well, the white seeds you occasionally find in seedless watermelons are not actually mature seeds.  They are white seed coats, where a seed never did mature.  It is safe to eat these seeds, as these seeds will never grow into watermelons.  So that’s simple;  if you come across the white, immature seeds, while inspecting seedless watermelons that’s OK, they are not considered a defect. 

But what do you do if you find some mature, dark brown seeds, in a seedless watermelon?

As seen above, you can see this slice is exposing 2 mature seeds.  The USDA Inspection Instructions do have specific guidelines as to how many mature seeds are allowed in the U.S. No.1 Grade.  If you suspect you may have a problem, follow theses inspection procedures:

Because there are no external indications of whether a melon may contain mature seeds, you would have to randomly cut the watermelons. 

When encountering seeded melons in a seedless lot report as a quality factor as “Seeded melons.”  Inspectors are required to cut as many melons as necessary in order to truly determine the internal quality.  Melons shall be cut in four equal sections (one lengthwise cut and one crosswise cut) as shown above.  Count the exposed seeds on the faces (vertical and horizontal) of all “quarters.”   If you find more than 10 mature seeds on the faces of the cut melon, that watermelon would be considered a defect.  Defect percentages MUST be based on the total melons in each sample (20) and not the number of melons cut.

The U.S. Grade Standards for Watermelons allow up to 10% may have quality defects.  If you find more than 10% of the seedless watermelons have more than 10 mature seeds on the exposed faces of the vertical and horizontal quarters, then the lot of watermelons would fail to grade U.S. No.1.