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 […]
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Earlier this week I received an e-mail asking me a very good question. While inspecting strawberries they noticed live insects (thrips) on the strawberries. There was no feeding damage, nor was there any real evidence of damage done by the insects. Checking the US Grade Standard and USDA Inspection Instrucitons there was no mention of this […]
For the most part inspecting sweet peppers is fairly simple. There are a few common defects you will notice, but you should always be on the look out for decayed peppers. When you are inspecting the peppers, and you come across one that has decay, you must determine and note if the decay is affecting the […]
In an effort to clear up confusion and proved further clarity, the USDA has opened the U.S. Grade Standards for Potatoes for comments on some changes to the grade standard. In 2008, the USDA recently revised the potato standard, but admittedly made some mistakes that need fixing. Here are the highlights: For years the potato […]
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You will almost always come across light brown to dark brown surface discoloration when inspecting apricots. The apricot’s skin is very tender and easily susceptible to discoloration resulting from what is commonly referred to as “roller damage.” Roller damage was the common culprit, as the fruit would be roughed up along the packing the lines, […]
I have written quite a few posts dealing with the different size requirements of some products. Some products have a minimum length, and/or a minimum diameter, while others may have a maximum diameter as part of their US Grade requirements. But what about uniformity? Let’s face it, that is a big complaint that many receivers have, regarding […]
Ever wondered if the Plums you are receiving from California are the proper size? The USDA Grades do not require that plums meet a certain minimum size, or diameter. If the plums are packaged in one or two layer container, you should make sure the fruit are the proper size for the pack, meaning they are not […]
Were you wondering what the defect “Auxiliary Ears” is? When inspecting sweet corn, either white, yellow, or bi-color corn, you may come across an ear of corn that has an extra ear attached. Many times these tag-alongs will not be fully developed ears, but will be smaller in size than the regular ears and the […]
You receive a load of cantaloups and notice a few of them have sunken spots or sunken areas scattered over the surface. Don’t confuse these sunken areas with bruising, as bruising will show flattened areas, will be soft to the touch, and most likely will show a watersoaked/translucent appearance to the underlying flesh. These sunken areas […]
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There are a few defects you should be looking for on asparagus, but spreading tips is the most common you will find. The U.S. Grade Standards require that asparagus spears must be fairly compact. Spreading tips could be caused by over-maturity, as the spears were harvested just past their prime. The USDA classifies this defect […]