International Produce Training

One of the most common questions I hear during my training classes is confusion over the term “free from.”  If you pick up any U.S. Grade Standard you will see this term, sometimes referring to more than one defect.  For the purpose of keeping the explanation simple I will discuss one of the most common “free from” defects, decay.

In all U.S. Grade Standards you will find wording in the U.S. No.1 Grade section reading something like this, “consists of product which is, clean, mature, fairly well formed, fairly well colored and free from decay.”  Anytime you see the term “free from” it means any amount of decay on the fruit or vegetable is a defect.  Any amount!  If you see a small spot (less than 1/2 inch) of decay, it is a defect, scored as decay.  If you see a large spot (greater than 1/2 inch), it is still scored as decay.  And if you see any spot, no matter what the size, even smaller than 1/4 inch, and you can identify the spot as being decay, it is also scored as decay.

OK, so we have made the point, if you see any amount of decay on the specimen, it is a defect, scored as decay.  But the Grade Standard says that decay is a free from defect, so if we find a specimen with decay, it is scored as a defect, and the lot, or product is out of grade, right, because it is a “free from” defect?  Wrong, that’s where the confusion begins.  The Grade Standard simply states decay is a free from defect, which means any amount of decay on the specimen is scored as a defect, and it is scored as decay.  But if you continue to read through the Grade Standard you will find a section titled “Tolerances”…….and you will find something like this;  “For defects, 10% by count which fail to meet the requirements of the grade, including 5% for defects causing serious damage, and including 2% decay.”

This is the key, when you find the tolerance for decay, (2% decay, as shown above), you now have to determine the percent of decay you found in your samples.  Remember, these are the specimens that you found any amount of decay on, since decay is a “free from” defect.  Total up your percentages and determine if more than 2% of the specimens in your samples did indeed have decay….if so, the lot fails to grade.

In future posts I will discuss some other common “free from defects”, such as soft, overripe, and some commodity specific free from defects, such as late blight, abnormal coloring, and shriveling.

Not that Brussels Sprouts is a commodity that garners much inspection attention, you still should always look for various defects that may affect them.  Future posts will include some of the more common defects, such as yellow and discolored leaves, insect damage and decay.

If you pull out the U. S. Grade Standards for Brussels Sprouts I guess you could jokingly say the USDA got it right about 60 years ago.  Amazing as this may sound, the current U.S. Grade Standard was created in 1954.  Maybe now that the fresh market for brussels sprouts is expanding, cutting into the frozen market, the USDA may find some time to update the standard.

As you receive some brussels sprouts there are some basic inspection procedures you must follow.

When you spread them out, to inspect, a few questions may come to mind.

1. The tolerances are based on a weight basis, how do I weigh them?
2. How many do I weigh for a sample?

First off, let’s clear some things up from 1954.  In the U.S. Grade Standard for Brussels Sprouts you will find the following; “In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and handling, other than for size, not more than a total of 10 percent, by weight, of the Brussels sprouts in any lot may fail to meet the requirements of the grade.”

But if you look further into the same standard it states; “§51.2254 Basis for calculating percentages. Percentages shall be calculated on the basis of weight or an equivalent basis.”  The key words being, “Equivalent Basis”……which leads to the next question, what does that mean?

You won’t find the answer in the grade standard.  But, if you happen to be one of the few that have access to the USDA’s Inspection Instruction Handbook for Brussels Sprouts, you will have the answer to your question……sort of.  The USDA’s instructions are a bit confusing.  In one paragraph the USDA instructs their inspectors to weigh out their sample, with 48-50 ounces being a sufficient sample.  In the very next paragraph the USDA instructs their inspectors to count out their sample, with 100 sprouts being an adequate sample size, as long as the sprouts are fairly uniform in size.

Are these sprouts fairly uniform in size?  The USDA tells us that the definition of fairly uniform is if the smallest sprout and the largest sprout in your sample do not vary  by more than 3/8 inch in diameter.  If they are outside this range, as shown above, base the inspection on weight.  If they are indeed fairly uniform in size then it is permissible to base your inspection on count.

So how does this play out in the real world? Do inspectors really measure the sprouts to see if they are within this 3/8 range?  Of course not.  Just think how confusing it would be if the sprouts in the first sample were fairly uniform, so you base the inspection on count, but the second inspection had sprouts not being fairly uniform, thus inspecting the second sample on a weight basis, and the third was fairly uniform again, so you are back to counting out your sample, etc. Experienced inspectors will immediately count out 100 sprouts and base their inspection on count, for every sample, never pulling their scale (or tape measure) out of their inspection equipment bag.  They have seen how ridiculous this procedure is.

The number one question that I hear over and over, is to explain what is considered a good/bad pressure test reading.  To begin with, using a penetrometer is a useful tool to determine how hard or how ripe the fruit is that you are inspecting.  Industry uses penetrometers on a daily basis when storing or packing apples, pears, stone fruit, avocados, mangos, etc.  The USDA will certify their readings from pressure testers when requested, but unfortunately there are very few written policies to follow.

The USDA inspection instructions for apples does devote a small section addressing pressure test procedures and instructions.  But what do the numbers mean.  If I follow the USDA procedures, if an apples records 6 pounds of pressure, is that good?  What if I record a reading of 4.5 pounds of pressure, can I reject the load.

Take a look above at the chart taken from the USDA Inspection Instructions.  For example, if you are inspecting Golden Delicious apples and you have a pressure test reading of 7 pounds, the chart indicates that all readings up to 8 pounds, the apple would be considered as being ripe.  If you have a reading of 12 pounds, that would equate to a firm apple.  So, to answer our earlier question, what if you recorded an average pressure test reading of 5 pounds of pressure for a Golden Delicious apple…..can you reject the load?  The answer is “maybe.”  Remember, the penetrometer is a tool you can use to verify your findings.  While inspecting the apples you suspected they were soft, when cutting there was no crisp snap, and they taseted mealy, you could use a pressure tester to backup your decision to reject the load of apples as being soft or overripe.

But what if you are receiving varieties other than Yellow Newtowns or Winesaps?  The USDA instructs their inspectors to base the apple variety they are inspecting on a comparable variety from the chart.

Another common question I hear, “What tip should I use when pressure testing?”  There are some new models of  digital penetrometers on the market, but many people still use the Wagner penetrometer shown below.

A typical pressure tester will include the slicer along with two tips.  The ones shown from my kit contain a 5/16″ tip and a 7/16″ tip.  It is imperative to use the correct tip for the fruit or vegetable you are inspecting.  A few years ago a USDA inspector used the incorrect tip while recording pressure test readings on a load of pears.  The mistake resulted in the load of pears being rejected and costing the shipper thousands of dollars.  When the mistake was discovered it was too late.  The USDA was forced to reimburse the shipper for the loss incurred.

Click here to view a chart developed by Wagner illustrating approximate firmness levels, and the proper tip to use.  Remember, the readings are only guidelines.  They are very helpful, but remember to not reject a load based upon these guidelines, but they are beneficial to help you in your decision to reject a load for being overripe.

Raspberries and Blackberries have one thing in common, different from every other commodity.  When determining the percent of defects, the US Grade Standards state the tolerances are based on volume.  Do you have any idea how this is done?  Don’t feel bad, I have never met an inspector (USDA, State, or industry) that actually follows this rule.

All other commodities state the defect tolerances are based on a count basis or a weight basis.  Let’s use cucumbers as an example.  You count 50 cucumbers to make up your sample.  If you find 4 decayed cucumbers the percent is determined by:  4 defects ÷ 50 total = .08 x 100 = 8%.  If your sample size was 63 count, and you found 4 decayed cucumbers, then you would have: 4 ÷ 63 = .06 x 100 = 6%.  This is very straight forward.  Some commodities vary in size within a sample, so because they lack uniformity the US Standard states that the defect tolerances are determined on a weight basis.  Using potatoes as an example; if you found 3 potatoes within your 20 pound sample with soft rot, you would have to weigh the 3 defective potatoes.  We’ll say they weighed 1.25 pounds.

To determine your percentage; 1.25 lbs of soft rot ÷ 20 lbs sample = .06 x 100 = 6%.

But for raspberries annd blackberries you would base the defect tolerances on a volume basis.

Step 1:  Open the clam shell, and carefully pour out the contents.  You will be inspecting all raspberries within the clam shell.

Step 2:  Even though the tolerances are based on volume, you have to count out all the raspberry in the clamshell.  In this example you have 45 raspberries.  So, 1 raspberry is equal to 2% (1/45).  Because the tolerances are based on volume, it is more accurate to say, 1 average size raspberry is equal to 2%.

Step 3.  You will have to determine what you consider to be an average size raspberry for your sample.  If the raspberry on the far right is your “average” size raspberry, then any defective raspberries you find, that are equal to the average size, would be equal to 2%.  If the defective raspberry was twice the size of the “average” raspberry, then the percent would also double, to 4%.  If the raspberry is smaller than the “average” raspberry (such as the berry, 2nd from the right), and is half the size of the average size, then the percent would equal 1%.

Does anyone actually go through this exercise when inspecting raspberries or blackberries?  No.  Chances are the sizes of the defective raspberries will average out during your inspection, and the percentages will still be accurate.  Inspectors do count out the raspberries to determine their sample size, they do separate their defects, soft, leaking, decayed, etc. and simply count the defective berries.  Using this example, if they find 15 berries that are soft, the percentages are determined by:  15 soft ÷ 45 total berries = .33 x 100 = 33%.

International Produce Training has announced it is now selling the Commodity Reference Manual.  For those of you that are familiar with the USDA version, you will be pleased to find this manual has included all the information you found useful, plus more.  You will now have PACA’s Good Delivery tolerances at your fingertips, and also some common defects have been added to enhance the manual.  And one more plus, it is half the price.

If you are not familiar with the reference manual, attached is a small sample for you to review.  IPT Commodity Reference Manual Sample 2012

The reference manual contains over 60 of the most common fruit and vegetables.  You will find all the tolerances, defect descriptions and scoring guidelines for the most common defects, storage tips and other useful information.  Included, are all the up-to-date standard changes, and defect scoring guidelines.

• How much bruising is allowed for a U.S. Extra Fancy Apple?
• Is tipburn a defect in Cabbage?
• I’ve heard the term “blanching” on Limes, what is it?
• What’s the freezing point of Lettuce?

You can find these answers and all your answers when performing your inspections within the manual.

This manual is being purchased by buyers, to give them a quick and easy to use reference guide when rejections come into play, as well as by inspectors (state and industry inspectors) who will use the manual in their day to day inspection activities.  It is compact in size, measuring 4-1/2 by 7 inches, easily fitting in a coat pocket, and has a laminated cover to protect it from the elements.

This is just one of many new resources being developed by IPT.  Look for on-line, or web-based inspection training coming in the near future.

With Pineapples reaching $3 a piece on the retail shelf, I received a question regarding the proper procedure for sampling pineapples when determining the percent of soluble solids (brix), specifically how many pineapples would have to be destroyed, for the extraction of juice.

The produce inspector had done his research, noting the USDA does not have specific documented procedures on how to determine the percent of soluble solids for pineapples.  The USDA does have specific procedures for soluble solids when inspecting cantaloups, grapes, kiwi, and watermelons.  The procedures vary, ranging from selecting 4 watermelons to 15 kiwifruit to extract the juice.

Because there are no specific USDA procedures for pineapples, the USDA does have a “default” procedure to follow.  The inspector should randomly select 2 pineapples from each sample, plug the pineapple (reaching into the center of the pineapple), remove the skin, and squeeze the juice from each plug.  The juice is mixed up, creating a composite sample of juice, to be placed on your refractometer.

But the big question remains, “How Many Pineapples Will Be Destroyed?”  Since the USDA will select 2 pineapples per sample, the real question is, “How many samples are needed?”  The USDA usually follows a 1% sampling rate guideline, but will take a minimum of 3 samples for smaller lots.  For example, for carton lots of up to 350 cartons, the USDA will sample 3 cartons, resulting in 6 pineapples being randomly selected for the soluble solids (2 per sample).  If there are 500 cartons in the lot, the USDA will sample 5 cartons, meaning 10 pineapples will be selected for soluble solids.  If there are 1000 cartons in the lot, the USDA will sample 10 cartons, and select a whopping 20 pineapples to plug for soluble solids.

This procedure will be followed no matter the type of carton.  Even if the cartons only hold 6 pineapples, 2 pineapples, or 33% of them will be selected for soluble solids determination.  Personally I think is an overkill.  I would think if you randomly selected somewhere be 4 and 7 pineapples (as is the case for watermelons and cantaloups) and follow the proper procedure when plugging the fruit, removing the skin and squeezing the plugs for a composite mix, this should work for you and your shippers.

Click here if you would like to read the US Grade Standard for Pineapples.

I would love to hear from others and hear what procedure they follow when sampling for soluble solids.

For those of you that have read a USDA Inspection Certificate you have noticed certain terms used over and over, such as “Generally”, “Mostly”, and  ”Many” to name a few.  These terms actually mean something within the inspection service.  Listed below are the terms and their definitions you may see:

• Practically All- 95 to 100%
• Generally- 90 to 100%
• Most (Mostly)- 55 to 89%
• Approximately Half- 46 to 54%
• Many- 26 to 45%
• Some- 11 to 25%
• Few- 5 to 10%
• Occasionally- 1 to 10%

These terms can be used on your own in-house inspection reports, and all facets of the industry will understand your terms.  For example, if you wanted to describe the firmness of a lot of fruit, you could report, “Most peaches are firm ripe to ripe, some firm.”

You may receive some product that is further advanced in ripeness.

As seen above, let’s say about 80% of the cartons of papayas had 95 t0 100% of the papayas with yellow color.  The remainder cartons had papayas turning yellow color.  An easy way to report this would be: “Most cartons with practically all papayas with yellow color, some turning yellow color.”

Here is another example, involving a shifted load:

If for example 10 of the 40 bins (25%) were shifted with 20% of the watermelons being damaged, you could report, “Some bins being crushed and compressed, with contents exposed, and some watermelons being split and leaking.” 

As you can see, by using these terms you will be able write accurate reports, being understood by all interested parties.

It happens all too often.  You receive a load of produce, where the product is in good shape, but the load has shifted and you notice some damaged cartons.  What are your options?

In most cases you can simply separate the damaged cartons from the rest of the load and place the damaged cartons back on the carrier and receive credit for the damaged cartons.  This sounds easy enough, and if the relationship between the buyer and shipper is a good one, this is the path to take.   But not everyone is afforded this method.  As an inspector, responsible for receiving produce, it may be necessary to document and provide a written report to back up your rejection.

Let’s use the above image as an example.  You receive a lot of cantaloups, in this case about 5 pallets, or about 250 cantaloups.  The front pallet in the middle of the image is leaning, as well as the back pallet on the left.  With the yellow line added as a guide, You can begin by stating, “Many pallets shifted from 3 inches on the second layer (the first layer is the bottom layer) to 12 inches on top layer, with some cartons on first and second layer being damaged and compressed.” 

The cartons on the first and second layer, with the check marks, are showing some damage.  You would want to check the contents of these cartons looking for bruising or flattened areas on the cantaloups.  Remember, bruising is a condition defect, meaning the cantaloups may only show slight flattening due to bruising when they arrive, but as the cantaloups sit around in storage the flattened areas may enlarge, become darker in color and the flesh may show signs of being translucent or discolored.

After you have documented the shifted load, the next best thing to do is take a digital picture of the shifted pallets.  If the damaged cartons are showing some cantaloups being split, you would definitely want to document that with your digital camera.

Of all the inspection procedures I have discussed on this site, determining the percentage of undersize berries may be one of the most time consuming, and confusing procedures.  First off, there are two size requirements you must be aware of.  The bunches have to meet a minimum size, having to weigh at least 1/4 pound, to be considered as meeting the requirement of the U.S. No. 1 Table Grape grade.  If a bunch does not weigh at least 1/4 pound, the entire bunch is grouped with the other quality defects, with a tolerance of 8%.

This post deals with the second size requirement for Table Grapes.  To meet the requirements of the U.S. No. 1 Table grade, not more than 10% of the bunches (by weight) may have more than 25% of the berries (by count) not meeting the minimum size.

As seen from the image above, the size of the berries usually varies in size from small berries to large berries.  If you follow the USDA’s inspection procedures you would have to determine if 25% of the berries, on the bunch, are smaller in diameter than what is allowed for the grade.  If you found more than 25% of the berries being undersize you would weigh the bunch, and all of the bunches within your sample that also had berries with more than 25% being undersize.  The total weight of these bunches may not exceed 10%, no matter how many other defects you found.  The 10% tolerance for bunches with undersize berries is a separate tolerance, separate from the defect tolerance.

So, how do you actually determine if the berries meet or fail to meet the minimum size?  You have to have a grape sizer, as pictured above.  For all varieties, other than seedless varieties, the berries must meet a minimum diameter of 10/16 inch.  For all seedless varieties (Flame Seedless, Thompson Seedless, Perlette, Black Seedless, etc.) they must meet a minimum diameter of 9/16 inch.  

Do the USDA inspectors actually count the berries on every bunch, and then count the number of berries on that bunch that are less than 9/16 or 10/16 of an inch?  The answer is yes and no.  If the berries appear to meet the minimum size, the inspectors never use their grape sizer.  But if it appears there may be a problem with the berries, most experienced USDA inspectors will quickly slide the grape sizer around the berries on the bunch and estimate if at least 75% of them meet the minimum size.  If they followed their own inspection procedures, literally counting all the berries on the bunches and literally counting all the undersize berries, the inspectors would spend an entire day on one grape inspection.  Not feasible.

Explaining this procedure via a post is very difficult, as most people find this procedure much easier to understand if they see and experience this during an actual training class.

You can follow all the defect scoring guidelines established by the USDA, but if you do not follow the basic sampling procedures your inspections would be a waste of time.  Proper sampling techniques should not be overlooked.  Sampling properly will ensure you are recording the percentage of defects in an accurate manner.

Upon receiving a load of produce, you first must have some basic sampling methods established.  Based upon the number of trailer loads of produce being received and the number of Quality Assurance staff, the number of samples will vary.  Some companies follow the USDA sampling procedures to the letter, while others adapt the basic sampling rules, but the number of samples is greatly reduced. 

The USDA follows the 1% rule for their sampling rate.  For example, a trailer load of lettuce contains 1000 cartons, the USDA will sample 1%, or will inspect 10 cartons.  If a lot of cucumbers contains 670 cartons, the USDA will sample 7 cartons.  At a minimum, the USDA will always inspect at least 3 cartons, for lots containing less than 300 cartons.

Most companies I’ve worked with sample 3 to 4 cartons, from a full trailer load of one item, usually sampling a minimum of 2 cartons for small lots.

After the pallets are unloaded, you will want to scatter the samples you pull for your inspections.  Taking random samples ensures your are looking at samples representative of the load.  If you are going to inspect 4 samples, make sure you pull them from different pallets, from back to front of the trailer.  It is also important you break down the pallets and inspect cartons from the top layer of the pallet as well as cartons on the lower layers.

And lastly, when you begin inspecting the product, it is imperative you sample throughout the carton.  Do not “pick and choose” the defective specimens only.  If you are only inspecting a portion of the carton, be sure and begin counting out your sample by taking specimens from the top of the carton all the way to the bottom of the carton.  Remember, accurate inspection results only come from accurate sampling methods.