General information
Below you will find the specifications for dried apricots which are mostly distributed in specific regions, as culinary habits vary from place to place.
Importation of food is always subject to acceptance from the national authorities, based on their national and ISO specifications; check these before purchasing.
Impact on the local, national, or regional market availability and prices should be carefully looked at before purchasing large quantities.
Specifications
The products shall comply with the Codex General Standard for dried Apricots (CODEX STAN 130-1981) and applies to commercially prepared seedless apricots packed ready for direct consumption.
DRIED/ PROCESSED APRICOTS, SEEDLESS
|
Basic ingredients |
Apricot (other ingredients like sugar to be specified by supplier with percentage) |
|
Raw material requirements |
Dried apricots is the product prepared from the sound/ripe & intact fruit of Armeniaca vulgaria Lam. (Prunus armeniaca L.) which have been suitably treated or processed and which are offered for direct consumption.
The product should be free of abnormal external humidity, be free of any added sugar/additives/colorants other than specified and should be of minimum Class I as per UNECE standard DDP-15 for dried apricots.
The product shall fully comply with the standards set by country of origin and country of intended destination |
|
Organoleptic
|
The product should be free of mould & abnormal flavour and/or taste, odour & smell. It should be free of living and dead insects and/or its parts, stages & waste. It should be free of weed & any toxic seeds and should be free of fungus (visual inspection) |
|
Shape and texture |
Whole apricots, soft (without seed) |
|
Size |
Average |
|
Colour |
Light yellow, yellow, yellow orange, orange and dark orange |
|
Flavour |
Free from unpleasant or objectionable flavours |
|
Slices |
10% max. |
|
Damaged fruit |
10% max. |
|
Broken fruit |
10% max. |
|
Damage by insect and other contamination |
5% max. |
|
Rotten fruit |
1% max. |
|
Immature fruit |
10% max. |
|
Foreign matter |
0.5% max. |
|
Total defect |
22% max. |
|
Moisture content |
45% min. |
|
Water activity |
< 0.6 |
|
Number of full fruit per kg |
131 – 165 |
|
Sulphur dioxide |
2000 mg/kg max. |
|
Ascorbic acid, sodium/potassium meta-bi-sulphate alone, or combined or expressed together as ascorbic acid |
500 mg/kg max. |
|
Microbiology
- Total Count for aerobic bacteria/germ
|
|
|
Heavy metals |
According to EU legislation
To be submitted by supplier |
|
Production |
Must be fresh production |
|
Packaging |
Vacuum sealed |
|
Labelling |
As per standards of the intended country of destination |
|
Net weight |
250 gr x 4, or 500 gr x 2, or 1 kg |
|
Brand |
To be indicated |
|
Origin |
To be indicated |
Latest update: 28/05/2020