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Apple inspection is a process of quality control of goods at different stages of logistic chain, which minimizes major trade risks related to the likelihood of cargo delivered or received not according to agreed specification, not being supplied in agreed quantity or incomplete set of accompanying documents agreed between parties for apple export/import operations is issued and received.

CISS GROUP provides apple inspection services to large agribusinesses and international trading companies in intermediate storage warehouses, elevators, factories or ports around the world.

The peculiarity of the inspection of apples is that they, like most fruits, have a short shelf life, so the adherence to delivery time and temperature regime are important. It should be taken into account the fact that apples must be stored at a temperature of 0 degrees, and temporary storage warehouses maintain a temperature of three to four degrees celsius. Therefore, the presence of apples in the warehouse not maintaining the prescribed temperature regime for more than a day can lead to damage to the product and its further disposal. To extend the shelf life of apples, as a rule, they are sprayed with sulfates, sorbic acid or definol. During the inspection it is also necessary to take into account the reaction of other crops stored in the vicinity and prevent mixing of the various crops.

CISS GROUP's highly professional inspectors and laboratory technicians inspect apples at any point in the supply chain.

The main stages of checking apples:

Incoming/outgoing check of apples.

It is carried out during the delivery of apples to fruit and vegetable bases, temporary storage warehouses or refrigerated containers. The CISS GROUP inspector will visually assess the condition of the premises for its suitability of cargo storage; check the cargo itself so that it is whole, dry, not mixed with other cargo, not damaged, not wet, frozen or wet, without pests, impurities, mold or foreign odors.

Acceptance of containers for cleanliness before loading apples.

It is a visual inspection of refrigerated containers for cleanliness and suitability for transportation of apples. The inspector carefully inspects their internal surfaces, checks the integrity and operability of coolers, temperature sensors, locks, hinges and other fasteners on container doors, rubber seals of container doors.

Visual control of the loading process and sampling of apples.

INSPECTION SCOPE:

CONDITION OF STORAGE BOXES (PACK)

When describing pack, report any liners or pads within the container, also report if apples are wrapped.

TEMPERATURE OF PRODUCT

Inspectors would not normally determine or report temperatures at shipping point. However, when in transit or at destination, due to the importance of the pulp temperature of fresh fruits and vegetables it is essential that the inspector accurately determine and report the temperature or range in temperatures on each lot.

SIZE

Size of the fruits is measured during the inspection

REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLING

The importance of obtaining representative samples cannot be over emphasized. Accurate certification is possible only if the samples examined are truly representative of the entire lot or accessible portion. All portions of a lot or load should receive the same attention in sampling regardless of the difficulty involved in reaching all layers or parts of a lot or load.

DEFECTS (QUALITY AND CONDITION)

• Bitter Pit is a physiological disorder that appears to be related to reduced calcium in developing fruit.
• Jonathan Spot is a physiological disease, but its exact cause is unknown. It is primarily a disease that occurs during storage or transit or on the market.
• Brown Surface Discoloration-are several defects of apples both pathological and physiological that result in the surface of the apple becoming discolored without affecting the underlying flesh.
• Bruising may be caused by rough handling, or by the pack being too loose or too tight. The variety, stage of firmness, and type of pack can influence the amount of bruising found.
• Broken skins and cuts may occur during harvest or when being packed. Healed skin breaks and cuts are scored as a quality factor; unhealed skin breaks are scored as a condition factor.
• Apple Cedar Rust usually appears on the calyx end of the fruit as grayish-yellow to yellow color.
• Quince-Cedar Rust can cause apples to be dwarf and distorted at the calyx end. Also, the internal discoloration caused by Quince-Cedar Rust penetrates the fruit tissue much deeper than Apple-Cedar Rust. Quince-Cedar Rust shall be reported as AppleCedar Rust.
• Cleanness
• Wax residue may be visible on the surface of apples for several reasons ranging from excessive application to blistering and peeling of wax. The wax is actually food grade shellac. Sometimes when apples have been cooled and then left out in warm, humid areas and cooled again, the shellac blisters and peels.
• Color
• Firmness is an important factor when determining the overall condition of the fruit. Before an apple becomes overripe it will show varying degrees of firmness, depending upon the stage of the ripening process
• Ground color can be an indicator of the ripeness of the fruit. Depending upon the variety, it may be the only color the apple possesses or it may be overspread with a blush.
• Chewing Test - Chewing a thin slice of apple flesh is one of the best ways to determine firmness. Sweetness or sourness to the taste cannot be considered to any extent in determining the degree of firmness.
• Thumb Pressure -The resistance of the apple flesh to pressure of the thumb is one of the quick and practical methods of determining firmness along with observation of ground color and wax development. Thumb pressure, as an index of firmness should be used in conjunction with cutting test, chewing test and pressure test.
• Wax Development- With most fall and winter apple varieties, firmness decreases in storage and the skin of the fruit gives off a waxy film.
• Cutting Test - The resistance offered by the knife blade on cutting the flesh is one index of firmness. A hard apple cuts with resistance and snap, while a ripe apple cuts easily with little if any snap.
• Pressure Testing can be useful in determining the firmness of apples, especially in the case of “borderline” firmness of apples
• Flyspeck and Sooty Blotch will often appear together. Flyspeck appears as small, slightly raised, black specks on the surface of the fruit.
• Insects and Worms -An insect sting is a small insect puncture, which extends only slightly below the skin of the fruit while a worm hole continues well into the flesh and is unusually larger
• Sunburn/Sprayburn - Apples that are exposed to direct intense sunlight while on the trees may become sunburned. The exposure causes the skin to become golden or bronze in color.

At the end of loading, the inspector seals the loaded containers. He enters all the data into reports, to which the client gets direct access.

Note that CISS GROUP inspection during loading and sampling can be carried out around the clock!

Laboratory analyses of the quality of apples.

We check the quality of apples exclusively in accredited laboratories in accordance with the requirements of existing international standards. The standard indicators of the quality of apples determined include: appearance, color, the presence of moldy and damaged fruits, smell, taste, sugar content.

In addition to basic analyses, laboratory tests are carried out for the content of toxic elements in apples, mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, pesticides, radionuclides.

At the request of the client, during the loading process, we also carry out an organoleptic analysis for each lot.

Photo and video report.

The inspector records each stage of the inspection with photos and videos. All such data contain the date and time of recorded stage of inspection. At the end of the apples inspection, CISS GROUP provides a detailed photo report of all stages of control and inspection.

Certificates.

Based on the results of the apples inspection the final certificate or reports are issued. The client can check the authenticity of the documents using a unique QR code, which is the "key" to the CISS GROUP website, where pdf versions of certificates are stored. Our certificates are protected with a digital cryptographic signature, which also guarantees their reliability and security.

Digitally signed certificates are often required by banks to verify the integrity of trading process when financing trade operations in the form of a letter of credit.

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