United States

Department of

Agriculture

Agricultural

Marketing

Service

Fruit and

Vegetable

Division

Processed

Products

Branch

United States Standards

for Grades of

Canned Grapefruit and

Orange for Salad

Effective date January 11, 1984
This is the fourth issue, as amended, of the United States Standards for Grades of Canned

Grapefruit and Orange for Salad published in the FEDERAL REGISTER of January 11,

1984 (49 FR 1333) to become effective January 11, 1984. This issue supersedes the third

issue, which has been in effect since April 8, 1975.

Voluntary U.S. grade standards are issued under the authority of the Agricultural

Marketing Act of 1946, which provides for the development of official U.S. grades to

designate different levels of quality. These grade standards are available for use by

producers, suppliers, buyers, and consumers. As in the case of other standards for grades

of processed fruits and vegetables, these standards are designed to facilitate orderly

marketing by providing a convenient basis for buying and selling, for establishing quality

control programs, and for determining loan values.

The standards also serve as a basis for the inspection and grading of commodities by the

Federal inspection service, the only activity authorized to approve the designation of U.S.

grades as referenced in the standards, as provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act

of 1946. This service, available as on-line (in-plant) or lot inspection and grading of all

processed fruit and vegetable products, is offered to interested parties, upon application,

on a fee-for-service basis. The verification of some specific recommendations,

requirements, or tolerances contained in the standards can be accomplished only by the

use of on-line inspection procedures. In all instances, a grade can be assigned based on

final product factors or characteristics.

In addition to the U.S. grade standards, grading manuals or instructions for inspection of

several processed fruits and vegetables are available upon request for a nominal

fee. These manuals or instructions contain detailed interpretations of the grade standards

and provide step-by-step procedures for grading the product.

Grade standards are issues by the Department after careful consideration of all data and

views submitted, and the Department welcomes suggestions which might aid in improving

the standards in future revisions. Comments may be submitted to, and copies of standards

and grading manuals obtained from:

Chief, Processed Products Branch

Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS

U.S. Department of Agriculture

P.O. Box 96456, Rm. 0709, So. Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20090-6456
United States Standards for Grades of Canned Grapefruit and Orange for Salad

Section Page No.

§52.1251 Product description. ....................................... 2

§52.1252 Styles .................................................. 2

§52.1253 Grades ................................................. 2

§52.1254 Liquid media and Brix measurements. ......................... 4

§52.1255 Fill of container. .......................................... 5

§52.1256 Minimum drained weights. ................................... 5

§52.1257 Sample unit size. .......................................... 7

§52.1258 Determining the grade of a sample unit ........................ 7

§52.1259 Determining the rating for the factors which are scored. ............ 8

§52.1260 Wholeness. .............................................. 8

§52.1261 Color. .................................................. 9

§52.1262 Defects ................................................. 9

§52.1263 Character. ............................................... 12

§52.1264 Determining the grade of a lot. ............................... 12

Authority: Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Secs. 203, 205, 60 Stat. 1087, as

amended, 1090, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1622, 1624).

Note: Compliance with the provisions of these standards shall not excuse failure to

comply with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or with

applicable State laws and regulations.
3

§52.1251 Product description.

Canned grapefruit and orange for salad, commonly known as canned citrus salad, is

prepared from sound, mature grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macfadyen) and sound, mature

oranges of the orange group (Citrus sinensis). The fruit ingredients have been washed,

segmented or sliced, and cored; and seeds and major portions of tough membrane have

been removed. The product is packed with a suitable packing media which may be water,

fruit juice, nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, or any other safe and

suitable ingredients permissible under the Federal Food, and Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The product is sufficiently processed by heat to assure preservation in hermetically or

aseptically sealed containers.

§52.1252 Styles.

(a) Segmented.

(b) Mixed segmented and sliced.

§52.1253 Grades.

(a) U.S. Grade A is the quality of canned grapefruit and orange for salad that:

(1) Has a drained weight of orange fruit is not less than 37-1/2 percent

nor more than 60 percent of the drained weight of the product;

(2) Has an average drained weight of not less than 53 percent of water

capacity of the container, of which not less than 65 percent by weight

of each fruit ingredient consists of practically whole units;

(3) Has a good color;

(4) Is practically free from defects;

(5) Has a good character;

(6) Has a good flavor and odor; and

(7) Scores not less than 90 points when scored in accordance with the

scoring system outlined in this subpart.
4

(b) U. S. Grade B is the quality of canned grapefruit and orange for salad that:

(1) Has a drained weight of orange fruit that is not less than 32-1/2

percent nor more than 60 percent of the drained weight of the product;

(2) Has an average drained weight of not less than 53 percent of the

water capacity of the container, of which not less than 50 percent by

weight of each fruit ingredient consists of practically whole units;

(3) Has a reasonably good color;

(4) Is reasonably free from defects;

(5) Has a reasonably good character;

(6) Has a reasonably good flavor and odor; and

(7) Scores not less than 80 points when scored in accordance with the

scoring system outlined in this subpart.

(c) U.S. Broken is the quality of canned grapefruit and orange for salad that:

(1) Has a drained weight of orange fruit that is not less than 32-1/2

percent nor more than 60 percent of the drained weight of the product;

(2) Has an average drained weight of not less than 53 percent of the

water capacity of the container, of which not less than 50 percent by

weight of each fruit ingredient consists of practically whole units;

(3) Has a reasonably good color;

(4) Is reasonably free from defects;

(5) Has a reasonably good character;

(6) Has a reasonably good flavor and odor; and

(7) Scores not less than 70 points when scored in accordance with the

scoring system outlined in this subpart.

(d) Substandard is the quality of canned grapefruit and orange for salad that

fails to meet the requirements of U. S. Grade B and U. S. Broken.
5

§52.1254 Liquid media and Brix measurements.

(a) Brix requirements for liquid media in canned grapefruit and orange for salad

are not incorporated in the grades of the finished product since sirup or any

other liquid medium, as such, is not a factor of quality for the purposes of

these grades. It is recommended that the product, when packed in sirup,

meet the following Brix measurements, as applicable, for the respective

designation:

Designations Brix Measurement

Heavy sirup 18E or more.

Light sirup 16E or more, but less than 18E.

Slightly sweetened water 12E or more, but less than 16E.

(b) These recommendations are not applicable to the canned product packed in

water, orange juice, fruit juice, or with artificial sweeteners.
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(c) The densities of the packing media, as listed in this section, are measured

on the refractometer, expressed as percent by weight sucrose (degrees Brix)

with correction for temperature to the equivalent at 20E C. (68EF.), but

without correction for invert sugars or other substances. The degrees Brix

of the packing media maybe determined by any other method which gives

equivalent results.

(d) Brix determination is made on the packing media 15 days or more after the

grapefruit and orange for salad is canned or on the blended homogenized

slurry of the comminuted entire contents of the container if canned for less

than 15 days.

§52.1255 Fill of container.

The recommended fill of container is not incorporated in the grades of the finished product

since fill of container, as such , is not a factor of quality for the purposes of these grades.

It is recommended that each container be filled as full as practicable with grapefruit and

orange for salad without impairment of quality and that the product and packing media

occupy not less than 90 percent of the total capacity of the container.

Total capacity of the container means the maximum weight of distilled water, at 20 degrees

C. (68 degrees F.) which the sealed container will hold.

§52.1256 Minimum drained weights.

(a) General. The minimum drained weight requirements for the various

container sizes are listed in Table I. The drained weight of the grapefruit and

orange for salad is not less than 53 percent of the water capacity of the

container.

(b) Definitions.

(1) Sample average - the average of all the drained weights of the sample

containers representing a lot.

(2) a specified minimum sample average drained weight.

(3) lower limit for individual container drained 

weights.
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(c) Method for determining drained weight. The drained weight of canned

grapefruit and orange for salad is determined by emptying the contents of the

container upon a U. S. Standard No. 8 circular sieve of proper diameter

containing 8 meshes to the inch (square openings 0.0937 inch (2.38 mm) +3

percent) so as to distribute the product evenly over the sieve. Without

shifting the product, incline the sieve at an angle of approximately 17E to 20E

to facilitate drainage and allow to drain for 2 minutes. The weight of drained

grapefruit and orange salad is the weight of the sieve and product less the

weight of the dry sieve. A sieve 8 inches in diameter is used if the contents

of the container is less than 3 pounds and a sieve 12 inches in diameter is

used if the contents of the container is 3 pounds or more.

(d) Compliance with drained weight requirements. A lot of canned grapefruit

and orange for salad os considered as meeting the minimum drained weight

requirements when the following criteria are met:

(1) The sample average meets the specified minimum sample average

drained weight (designated as in Table I); and

(2) The number of containers which fail to meet the minimum drained

weight for individual containers (designated as in Table I) does not

exceed the applicable acceptance number specified in Table II.

Table I - Minimum Drained Weights

Container Designation

8Z (211 x 304)

Ounces Ounces

4.60 4.25

No. 303 (303 x 406) 8.95 8.50

No. 3 Cyl. (404 x 700) 27.40 26.30

Table II - Single Sampling Plans and Acceptance Numbers

Sample Size (No. of sample containers) 3 6 13 21 29 38 48 60

Acceptance Numbers .............. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8

§52.1257 Sample unit size.

Compliance with requirements for factors of quality is based on a sample unit comprised

of the entire contents of one container, irrespective of container size.

§52.1258 Determining the grade of a sample unit.

(a) General. The grade of a sample unit of canned grapefruit and orange for

salad is determined by considering the factor of flavor and odor which is not

scored; the ratings for the factors of wholeness, color, defects, and character

which are scored; the total score; and the limiting rules which may be

applicable.

(b) Factors rated by score points. The relative importance of each factor

which is scored is expressed numerically on the scale of 100. The maximum

number of points that may be given each factor are:

Factors Points

Wholeness ................................... 25

Color ........................................ 25

Defects ...................................... 25

Character .................................... 25

Total ................................... 100

(c) Definitions.

(1) Percentage of orange fruit means the drained weight of the orange

ingredient multiplied by 100 and divided the drained weight of the

total fruit ingredients. Compliance with this requirement shall be

based on the sample average (average of all sample units

representing a lot): Provided, that the weight of drained orange fruit

in no single container is less than 25 percent or more than 75 percent

of the drained fruit in such container. It is recommended that the

number of orange units be not less than the number of grapefruit

units.

(2) Good flavor and odor means that the product has a distinct and

normal flavor and odor typical of canned grapefruit and orange for

salad and is free from objectionable flavosr and objectionable odors

of any kind.
9

(3) Reasonably good flavor and odor means that the product may be

lacking in good flavor and odor but is free from objectionable flavors

and objectionable odors of any kind.

§52.1259 Determining the rating for the factors which are scored.

The essential variations within each factor which is scored are so described that the value

may be determined for each factor and expressed numerically. The numerical range within

each factor which is scored is inclusive (for example, 23 to 25 points means 23, 24, or 25

points).

§52.1260 Wholeness.

(a) General. A practically whole unit means:

(1) A fruit segment or slice that is substantially intact and retains its

apparent original conformation; or

(2) A portion of a segment or slice that is not less than 75 percent of its

apparent size.

(b) "A" classification. Sample units of canned grapefruit and orange salad that

consist of not less than 65 percent by weight of each drained fruit ingredient

in practically whole units may be given a score of 21 to 25 points.

(c) "B" classification. Sample units of canned grapefruit and orange for salad

that consists of less than 65 percent but not less than 40 percent by weight

of either or both of the drained fruit ingredients in practically whole units may

be given a score of 17 to 20 points. In addition the sample average (average

of all sample units representing a lot) shall not be less than 50 percent by

weight in practically whole units. Sample unit of canned grapefruit and

orange for salad that fall into this classification shall not be graded above U.

S. Grade B, regardless of the total score for the product. (This is a limiting

rule.)

(d) "Broken" classification. Sample units of canned grapefruit and orange for

salad that individually consist of less than 40 percent by weight of either or

both of the drained fruit ingredients in practically whole units, or average

(average of all sample units) less than 50 percent by weight of either or both

of the drained fruit ingredients in practically whole units may be given a

score of 0 to 16 points. Sample units of canned grapefruit and orange for

salad that fall into this classification shall not be graded above U. S. Broken,

regardless of the total score for the product. (This is a limiting rule.)
10

§52.1261 Color.

(a) "A" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that has a good

color may be given a score of 23 to 25 points. Good color means that:

(1) With respect to the grapefruit, a practically uniform, bright, typical

color free from any noticeable tinge of amber; and

(2) With respect to the orange fruit, a practically uniform, bright, typical

orange color.

(b) "B" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that has a

reasonably good color may be given a score of 21 or 22 points. Canned

grapefruit and orange for salad that falls into this classification shall not be

graded above U. S. Grade B, regardless of the total score for the product.

(This is a limiting rule.) Reasonably good color means that:

(1) With respect to the grapefruit, at least a fairly bright color

which may be variable but is not off-color for any reason; and

(2) With respect to the orange fruit, at least a fairly bright, typical

orange color which may be variable.

(c) "SStd" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that fails to

meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section may be given a score

of 0 to 20 points and shall not be graded above Substandard, regardless of

the total score for the product. (This is a limiting rule.)

§52.1262 Defects.

(a) General. The factor of defects refers to the degree of freedom from

extraneous vegetable material, from seeds, from portions of albedo, from

portions of tough membrane, from damaged units, and from other similar

defects.

(1) Extraneous vegetable material means, portions of leaves, small

pieces of peel, and other similar material that is harmless.

(2) Seed means any seed or any portion thereof, whether or not fully

developed, that measures more than 3/16 inch in any dimension.

(3) Large seed means any seed or any portion thereof, whether or not

fully developed, that measures more than 3/8 inch in any dimension.

(4) Damaged unit means any grapefruit or orange unit or portion thereof

that is damaged by lye peeling, by discoloration, or by similar injury

or that is otherwise damaged to such an extent that the appearance

or eating quality of the unit is materially affected.
11

(b) "A" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that is

practically free from defects may be given a score of 23 to 25 points.

Practically free from defects means that:

(1) All defects present, whether or not specifically defined or listed in this

section, do not more than slightly affect the appearance or edibility of

the product; and

(2) The defects that may be present in a sample unit and in the entire

sample do not exceed the allowance specified in Table III.

(c) "B" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that is

reasonably free from defects may be given a score 21 to 22 points. Canned

grapefruit and orange for salad that falls into this classification shall not be

graded above U. S. Grade B, regardless of the total score for the product.

(This is a limiting rule.) Reasonably free from defects means that:

(1) All defects present, whether or not specifically defined or listed in this

section, may materially, but not seriously, affect the appearance or

edibility of the product; and

(2) The defects that nay be present in a sample unit and in the entire

sample do not exceed the allowances specified in Table IV.

(d) "SStd" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that fails to

meet the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section may be given a score

of 0 to 20 points and shall not be graded above Substandard, regardless of

the total score for the product. (This is a limiting rule.)
12

Table III - Allowances for Defects in Canned Grapefruit and Orange for Salad

U.S. Grade A

Defects 8Z (211 x 304) No. 303 (303 x 406) No. 3 Cyl. (404 x 700)

Sample Unit Sample Average Sample Unit Sample Average Sample Unit Sample Average

Maximum Maximum Maximum

Extraneous vegetable material 1 piece 0.25 piece 1 piece 0.50 piece 1 piece 0.75 piece

Seeds and large seeds Total of 3 seeds 1.6 seeds Total of 4 seeds 3.2 seeds Total of 10 seeds

including not including not including not including not including not

more than 1 more than 0.4 more than 2 large more than 0.8 more than 3 large .............

large seed. large seed. seeds. large seed. seeds.

Albedo and tough membrane 1 square inch 1/2 square inch 2 square inches 1 square inch 5 square inches 4 square inches

Damaged units 1/4 ounce .............. 1/2 ounce ............. 1-1/2 ounces .............

-Total-

 All defects specified above and/or Cumulative Effect - does not more than slightly affect the appearance or eating quality of the product.

any other defects that may be

present

Table IV - Allowances for Defects in Canned Grapefruit and Orange for Salad

U.S. Grade B

Defects 8Z (211 x 304) No. 303 (303 x 406) No. 3 Cyl. (404 x 700)

Sample Unit Sample Average Sample Unit Sample Average Sample Unit Sample Average

Maximum Maximum Maximum

Extraneous vegetable material 2 pieces 0.50 piece 2 pieces 0.75 piece 2 pieces 1 piece

Seeds and large seeds including not more including not including not more including not more including not more

Total of 6 seeds 4.8 seeds Total of 12 seeds 9.6 seeds Total of 20 seeds

than 2 large seeds. more than 1.2 than 3 large seeds. than 2.4 large than 5 large seeds. ...............

large seeds. seeds.

Albedo and tough membrane 1-1/2 square inches 3/4 square inch 3 square inches 2 square inch 7-1/2 square inches 6 square inches

Damaged units 3/4 ounce .............. 1-1/2 ounces ............... 4 ounces ...............

-Total-

 All defects specified above Cumulative Effect - may materially, but not seriously, affect the appearance or eating quality of the product.

and/or any other defects that

may be present
13

§52.1263 Character.

(a) General. The factor of character refers to the structure and condition of the

cells of the grapefruit and orange and reflects the maturity of the fruits.

(b) "A" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that has a good

character may be given a score of 23 to 25 points. Good character means

that the grapefruit and orange units are moderately firm and fleshy; that the

units or portions thereof have a juicy, cellular structure free from dry cells, or

ricey cells, or fibrous cells that materially affect the appearance or eating

quality of the product.

(c) "B" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that has a

reasonably good character may be given a score of 21 to 22 points. Canned

grapefruit and orange for salad that falls into this classification shall not be

graded above U. S. Grade B, regardless of the total score for the product.

(This is a limiting rule.) Reasonably good character means that the

grapefruit and orange units may be affected, but not seriously so, by dry

cells, ricey cells or fibrous cells that detract from the appearance or eating

quality of the product.

(d) "SStd" classification. Canned grapefruit and orange for salad that fails to

meet the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section may be given a score

of 0 to 20 points and shall not be graded above Substandard, regardless of

the total score for the product. (This is a limiting rule.)

§52.1264 Determining the grade of a lot.

The grade of a lot of canned grapefruit and orange for salad covered by these standards

is determined by the procedures set forth in the Regulations Governing Inspection and

Certification of Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and

Certain Other Food Products (7 CFR 52.1 through 52.83).

Done at Washington, D.C., on January 5, 1984.

/s/

William T. Manley

Deputy Administrator

Marketing Programs Operations