CANNED AND BOTTLED FRUITS AND FRIUT PRODUCTS GRADING AND MARKING RULES
1. Short title and application. ---
(1) These Rules may be called the Canned and Bottled Fruits and Fruit Products Grading and Marking Rules, 1942.
(2) They shall apply to canned and bottled fruits and fruit products prepared in India.
2. Grade designation--The grade designations to indicate the quality of canned and bottled fruits and fruit products are shown in column 1 of the relevant Schedules annexed to these rules. They shall be applicable only to finished products made from such fruits as are shown in column 2 of the Schedules.
3. Definition of quality-- The special and general characteristics of quality indicated by the respective grade designations are set out against such designations in columns 3 and 4 of the relevant Schedules.
4. Grade designation marks---- The grade designation mark shall consist of a label of the design and colour set out in Schedule I in conjuction with the grade designation.
5. Method of marking-- A grade designation mark shall be securely affixed to each container in a manner approved by the Agricultural Marking Adviser. In addition to the grade designation mark, the following particulars shall be clearly marked on the container:---
(a) Kind or variety of fruit,
(b) Nature of the product, viz. Juice, squash, marmalade, etc.,
(c) Net weight or volume of contents,
(d) Name of manufacturer :
Provided that an authorised packer may be specially authorised by the Agricultural Marketing Adviser to incorporate, subject to his approval, the grade designation mark in the design of any private brand label to be applied to the containers.
6. Method of packing--- Canned and bottled fruits and fruit products shall be packed in such suitable containers as are described below and all containers shall be securely closed and sealed in a manner approved by the Agricultural Marketing Adviser :---
(a) Canned fruits,-- Open-top cans made from a suitable kind of tin plate shall be used for canning fruits.
(b) Bottled fruits.--- For bottling fruits, glass bottles with wide mouth and closures capable of giving a hermetic seal shall be used.
(c) Fruit juices, squashes and cordials.-- Fruit juices, squashes and cordials shall be packed in clean sterilised bottles.
These products when frozen and sold in the form of ices shall be packed in suitable cartons.
(d) Fruit juice barley.-- Shall be packed in clean, sterilised bottles.
(e) Jellies, marmalades and jams,-- New cans or clean, sterilised glass or Chinaware jars shall be used for packing these products.
(f) Sauces and chutnies,-- These shall be packed in clean, sterilised bottles.
(g) Crystallized and candied fruits,.—Cardboard- boxes , clean new tins or suitable glass containers shall be used for packing these products.
7. Special conditions of authorisation-- In addition to the conditions specified in rule 4 of the General Grading and Marking Rules, 1937, the following special conditions shall be observed by packers to the satisfaction of the Agricultural Marketing Adviser :---
(a) All fruits used shall be clean, fresh, of the requisite degree of maturity and free from insect or fungal attack or any other blemish affecting the quality of the fruit,
(b) The buildings, including floors, shall be clean and capable of maintiaining hygienic conditions during the manufacturing operations. The premises shal be fly-proof. There shall be adequate arrangments for sterilisation of containers, packing tables, working parts of machinery etc., which are liable to come into contact with fruit or sugar syrup during the packing operations, No vessel, container or other equipment, the use of which is likely to lead to injurious metallic contamination shall be employed in the preparation, packing or storage of the fruit or fruit products.
(c) The water used shall be pure and of drinking quality free from pathogenic micro-organisms.
(d) All workers shall be clean and free from any contagious or obnoxious disease. Their clothing shall also be clean.
(e) An authorised packer shall keep records, in such from as may be prescribed by the Agricultural Marketing Adviser, regarding the quantity of different kinds of products prepared and the grade designation marks applied to them * These rules are not applicable as long as the Fruit Product Orders, 1946 is in operation
SCHEDULE I (See Rule 4) The grade designation mark for canned and bottled fruits and fruits products shall consist of the following design :
In conjunction with a grade designation.
The labels shall be of the following colours :--
(a) Juices, squashes and cordials.---- Grade designation Colour of label
1. AGMARK (High Sugar) White
2. AGMARK (Medium Sugar) Red
3. AGMARK (Low Sugar). Blue
4. AGMARK (Unsweetened) Green
(b) Jellies and marmalades.--- Grade designation Colour of label AGMARK jelly White AGMARK Marmalade Yellow
SCHEDULE II (See Rule 2 and 3 ) Grade designations and definition of quality of fruit juices, squashes and cordials * Grade designation Kind and variety of fruit Special characteristics General characteristics ---------------------------- ----------------------------------- Kind Variety Minimum per Minimum centage of percentage of sugar in fruit juice in final final product product 1 2 3 4 AGMARK (High sugar) Lime Any suitable 50 30 Fruit juice shall be derived from sound variety fresh fruit free from insect or Lemon Do 50 30 fungal attack or any other blemish affecting the quality of the fruit. It Orange Do. 50 35 shall be free from seeds, pieces of skin, bits of coarse tissue and Grape fruit Do. 50 35 any extraneous matter.
AGMARK (Medium sugar) Lime Do 30 30 The sugar used shall be crystallized white sugar capable of producing a Lemon Do 30 30 clear syrup. The only substances that may be added are water, sugar, peel oil, Orange Do 30 35 any harmless colouring matter, sulphur Grape fruit Do 30 35 dioxide not in excess of 350 parts in a million(when packed in bottles) or AGMARK sodium benzoate not in excess of (Low sugar) Lime Do 15 30 600 parts in a million of the finished product by weight and pure citric acid in Lemon Do 15 30 sufficient quantity to bring the acidity of the finished product up to maximum Orange Do 15 35 of 2.5 per cent (total acidity as citric acid).
Grape fruit Do 15 35 AGMARK (Unsweetened) Lime Do ... 100 The finished product shall have a good flavour characteristic of the fruit and be Lemon Do .. 100 free from cooked or any other objectionable taints or flavours.
Orange Do .. 100 It shall be of good keeping quality and shall show no sign of Grape Fruit Do .. 100 fermentation if incubated at 25°C and 37° C and 40 °C, for ten days.
Pomegranate Do .. 100 Grape Do .. 100 *Fruit juice shall be the unconcentrated liquid product expressed from the ripe fruit and shall contain a substantial protion of the pulp and other cellular matter. When a prescribed quantity of sugar is added to the juice the final product shall be called squash.
Cordial shall be the clear final product prepared by adding sugar to the refined juice, i.e., juice from which pulp and other cellular matter have been removed.
When frozen the product shall be described as " Ice Juice", "Ice Squash" or "Ice Cordial" in conjunction with the name of the fruit, e.g." Ice Orange Squash", etc.
SCHEDULE III ( See Rule 2 and 3) Grade designation and definition of quality of fruit jellies and Marmalade * Grade designation Kind and variety of fruit Special characteristics General characteristics ----------------------------------- Kind of fruit Variety of Fruit 1 2 3 4 AGMARK Lime Shall be made from clears The finished product shall be reasonably Jelly strained fruit juice and firm, of good keeping quality and Lemon Any crystallized white sugar attractive colour. It shall have the flavour Orange suitable (sucrose). of the original fruit and shall be free Grape variety from burnt or other objectionable fruit flavours, crystallization, fermentation and mould growth.
AGMARK Lime Shall be made from strained It shall contain no added colouring or Marmalade Lemon fruit juice, crystallized flavouring substances other than the Orange Do white sugar (sucrose)and natural constituents of the fruit. No Grape not less than 5 or more preservative, except sulphur dioxide to the fruit to the than 15 percent of extent of 40 parts in a million when the sliced peel or fruit. product is packed in glass or chinaware jars shall be used. Pure citric or tartaric acid and pectin derived from fruits may be added when necessary. The finished product shall contain not less than 65 per cent. soluble solids.
*Fruit jelly shall be a product or gelatinous consistency prepared by boiling strained fruit juice with sugar. Marmalade shall be jelly in which are suspended slices of peel or fruit.