GB/T 26906-2024Sweet cherry (English PDF)

1 Scope

The document sets the quality, the inspection rules and the packaging and marking requirements for the fruit of the sweet cherry, Prunus avium L., and describes the matching inspection methods.

It applies to the quality grading and the commercial circulation of sweet cherry fruit.

The foreword records the changes against GB/T 26906-2011: the quality requirements of Clause 4 and the inspection methods of Clause 5 were changed, the hygiene requirements of 4.2 and the hygiene inspection of 5.4 of the 2011 edition were deleted, and the sampling method of 6.2 and the judgement rules of 6.3 were changed.

2 Normative references and terms

Three documents are cited: GB/T 191 on pictorial marking for handling of goods, NY/T 1778 on general rules for the packaging and marking of fresh fruit, and NY/T 2637 on the determination of soluble solids content in fruit and vegetables by the refractometer method.

Two terms are defined. The transverse diameter is the greatest width perpendicular to the suture. Mechanical damage is injury caused by an external force that leaves the fruit incomplete or its surface visibly broken; a note gives bruising, abrasion and crushing as the common kinds.

4 Quality requirements

The basic requirements are that the fruit is of one variety without admixture and carries the characters proper to that variety, the characters of the different varieties being given in Annex A and the main growing regions and varieties in Annex B; that the fruit is fresh, with a clean surface, free from off odour, rot, disease and pests, and free from mechanical damage; and that it has the ripeness the market asks for, the soluble solids content of the fresh fruit being not less than 14 %.

Table 1 grades the fruit in three grades, special, first and second. For fruit shape: the shape is correct and carries the characters proper to the variety in the special grade; the shape is normal and carries those characters in the first grade; and the second grade carries the characters proper to the variety. For colour: all three grades have the colour proper to the variety at ripeness; in the special grade the colouring is even, in the first grade uneven colouring covers not more than one tenth of the fruit surface, and in the second grade not more than one fifth. For the stem: all three grades have a fresh, whole, unfaded stem; the special grade has no damage, the first grade a damage rate below 2 % and the second grade a damage rate below 5 %. The cracked fruit rate is 0 in the special grade, below 1 % in the first grade and below 2 % in the second. The malformed fruit rate is 0 in the special grade, below 1 % in the first grade and below 5 % in the second; a footnote states that malformed fruit takes in double and triple fruit joined on one stem and shrivelled fruit.

Table 2 sets four size classes by transverse diameter d in millimetres: small, S, d below 24; medium, M, d from 24 up to but not including 28; large, L, d from 28 up to but not including 30; and extra large, EL, d of 30 and above.

5 Inspection methods

Sensory indicators such as fruit shape, colour, stem and mechanical damage are inspected visually.

Soluble solids are determined by the method of NY/T 2637.

The transverse diameter is measured with a grading caliper on not fewer than thirty fruits, to 1 mm.

For the stem damage rate, fruit with a damaged stem is picked out of the drawn sample by eye, the number of fruits with a damaged stem and the total number of fruits in the sample are counted, and the rate is calculated by formula (1); in the legend X1 is the stem damage rate, C the number of damaged fruits in the sample in units of fruit, and M the total number of fruits inspected in units of fruit.

For the cracked fruit rate, cracked fruit is picked out of the sample by eye, the number of cracked fruits and the total number of fruits are counted, and the rate is calculated by formula (2); in the legend X2 is the cracked fruit rate, D the number of cracked fruits in the sample in units of fruit, and M the total number of fruits inspected in units of fruit.

For the malformed fruit rate, malformed fruit is picked out of the sample by eye, the number of malformed fruits and the total number of fruits are counted, and the rate is calculated by formula (3); in the legend X3 is the malformed fruit rate, N the number of malformed fruits in the sample in units of fruit, and M the total number of fruits inspected in units of fruit. The printed equations of formulae (1) to (3) are broken in the extracted text and are not reproduced here.

6 Inspection rules

Sweet cherries of the same variety, the same place of production, the same grade and the same production date form one inspection batch. The items entered on the inspection form match the goods; where the goods do not match the delivery note, where grades are mixed or where the packaging container is badly damaged, the consignor sorts the goods again before inspection.

One inspection batch forms one sampling batch. The sample drawn is representative and is taken at random from different parts of the whole consignment, and the inspection result of the sample applies to the whole batch. For a consignment of 100 packages or fewer, such as boxes or baskets, 3 % to 5 % of the actual number of packages is drawn at random; above 100 packages, 4 % to 6 % is drawn at random. In special cases where the inspection has to be widened, the number of samples may be increased.

Where the packaging or marking of the batch sample does not conform, the producer applies for re-inspection after putting matters right; where the quality requirements do not conform, no re-inspection is carried out.

In sampling inspection of each batch, a quality record is made for every sample that does not meet its grade or size class. Where one sample shows several defects at once, one main defect is chosen and recorded, and the mass of a defective fruit is counted once only. The mass fraction of non-conforming product is kept to one decimal place, and the percentage of non-conforming product for a single item is calculated by formula (4); in the legend X4 is that percentage, m the mass of non-conforming product for the single item in grams and m0 the total mass of the inspected sample in grams. The printed equation is broken in the extracted text and is not reproduced here.

The percentage of non-conforming product for each batch inspected is calculated as the mean over the number of packages inspected, such as boxes or baskets, and the total does not exceed the tolerance laid down for the grade or size class.

The tolerances for grades are as follows: in the special grade 5 % may fail that grade but meets the first grade; in the first grade 8 % may fail that grade but meets the second grade; and in the second grade 10 % may fail that grade but meets the basic requirements. The tolerances for size classes, counted by number, are: in the extra large class 3 % may fail that class but meets the large class; in the large class 5 % may fail but meets the medium class; in the medium class 8 % may fail but meets the small class; and in the small class 10 % may fail but meets the basic requirements.

7 Packaging, marking and annexes

Packaging follows NY/T 1778, and a carton or a foamed plastic box is advised. Marking follows GB/T 191 and NY/T 1778.

Annex A is informative and carries Table A.1, the fruit characters of the sweet cherry varieties, giving for each variety the fruit shape, the colour and the flavour. It lists Hongdeng, kidney shaped, red, medium and sweet-sour; Mingzhu, heart shaped, yellow-red, strong and sweet; Jiahong, heart shaped, yellow-red, strong and sweet; Heizhenzhu, heart shaped, purple-red, strong and sweet-sour; Jimei, heart shaped, purple-red, strong and sweet-sour; Summit, heart shaped, red, medium and sweet-sour; Brooks, flattened oval, red, strong, crisp and sweet; Van, nearly round, red, strong and sweet-sour; Lapins, nearly round, red, medium and sweet-sour; Sunburst, round, red, strong and sweet-sour; Tieton, heart shaped, purple-red, strong and sweet-sour; Krupnoplodnaya, nearly round, purple-red, strong and sweet-sour; Rainier, heart shaped, yellow-red, strong and sweet-sour; and Hanxiang, heart shaped, purple-red, strong and sweet-sour.

Annex B is informative and carries Table B.1, the main growing regions and their varieties: Shandong grows Hongdeng, Tieton, Summit, Heizhenzhu, Sunburst, Lapins, Van and Brooks; Liaoning grows Hongdeng, Tieton, Jiahong, Mingzhu, Lizhu, Summit and Hanxiang; Shaanxi, Henan and Gansu grow Hongdeng, Tieton, Summit, Jimei, Sunburst and Brooks; Beijing and Hebei grow Hongdeng, Krupnoplodnaya, Tieton and Summit; and Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other provinces grow Hongdeng, Tieton, Summit, Lapins and Rainier.