-10-

SOUTHERN PEAS INSPECTION CERTIFICATE

Department of Agriculture
and
U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating

Processor Inspection Point
Address Date.
Grower, Hour,
Address
EXTERNAL QUALITY INTERNAL QUALITY
Size sample analyzed grams. Size sample analyzed grams.
Contains the following: Contains the following:

grams percent
grams percent Seeds showing green
Extraneous material

Dissimilar varieties
Not fairly well matured

Excessively mature Damaged seeds

Decay Serious damage
Decay
SHELLING TEST Dark Discolor-
ation __.

Recoverable seeds (Count |

Insect eggs ( )

Worms ( )
Grade Total seed ( )

defects
REMARKS:

I, the undersigned, on the above date, made personal inspection of
a sample believed by me to be representative of the load from which the
sample was taken, and do certify that the quality and condition of the
sample was as shown above,
Inspector,

PROCESSOR 'S RECORD
Load number
Variety of Type

Weight of load lbs.



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
CONSUMER AND MARKETING SERVICE
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE DIVISION
FRESH PRODUCTS STANDARDIZATION AND INSPECTION BRANCH

SOUTHERN PEAS FOR PROCESSING
INSPECTION INSTRUCTIONS

INTRODUCTION

The name, “southern peas", has generally been accepted to desig-
nate the seed pods of a large group of varieties of the plant Vigna
sinensis which are selected for their desirable edible quality, All
varieties of this species of plant were formerly known as "field peas"
or "cow peas", and these rames still presist in connection with the
edible varieties in many localities. The name "black-eye peas" is
also used quite generally to denote one of the black-eyed or pink-eyed
varieties.

Production of southern peas is concentrated in the southeastern
states and extending southwest to Texas, Leading states processing
peas are Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and O!lahoma.
A number of other southeastern states also pack considerable tonnages.

Harvesting is a hand picking operation, although efforts are be-
ing made to develop a mechanical picker which will do a satisfactory
job, The peculiar shape of the pods and their habit of uneven matur-
ing make the job of mechanical harvesting very difficult,

Peas are generally processed as frozen or canned pack, The re-
quirements for the raw product are alike in most respects. However,
canners can and often do use peas of a somewhat more advanced stage
of maturity than that preferred by freezers. This is because the fro-
zen peas are not cooked, and they retain the light color and any green-
ish cast of the raw pea. The canned product, on the other hand, must
be cooked for a long time to insure keeping quality, and the peas all
assume a light brown color regardless of their original color,

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The inspector shall be familiar with and be guided by:

1. General Shipping Point Handbook which describes the
duties and required conduct of an inspector,

2. Processor - Grower contract which establishes the
basis for grading the commodity,

Ql)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)


(33)

(34)

(35)

(36)

(67)

(38)

(40)

~6—

Variety, Both U, S, grades require that the seeds be of
"similar varietal characteristics", A mixture of several varieties
is permissible if the seeds are of similar size and color, However,
if the lot contains some seeds which are distinctly different in
appearance and contrast with the majority of seeds, the contrasting
seeds shall be scored against the 5 percent tolerance for dissimilar
varieties,

Maturity. The stage of maturity has a considerable effect
on the appearance of the seeds, and some persons think that they also
have better flavor before they reach the advanced stages of maturity,
Greenish color of the seeds is a good indication that they are in
the early to middle stages of maturity, which is highly desirable for
freezing. Consequently the U. S, No, 1 grade requires that "light
colored seeded" varieties have 50 percent or more of the seeds with
at least a tinge of green,

Spread the seeds and sort them rapidly for color, A seed
must have a greenish cast to meet this requirement, although the
green may be Limited to a very small portion of the surface, If
the percentage of seeds showing green is well above or well below
the 50 percent requirement, it will be satisfactory to estimate
and report in rounded percents such as 35, 40, 60, or 70 percent,
However, if the percentage of green seeds is close to 50, the in-
spector shall completely sort out and weigh them to be sure whether
they can meet the No, 1 grade requirement.

The U. S, No, 2 grade has no requirement for green colored
seeds, Lots which fail to meet U. S. No. 1 on account of insufficient
green can meet U, S, No, 2 if the other grade factors are within the
No, 2 tolerances,

Some varieties of peas have predominantly yellowish or brownish
color casts, and do not normally show green even in the intermediate
stages of maturity, These varieties are considered to be not "light
colored seeded" varieties and are not subject to the green tinge re~
quirement. They can meet the requirements of U. S, No, 1 grade if the
other grade factors are within tolerance,

Bear in mind that lack of green color is treated as an indication
of the stage of maturity, and is not classed as a grade defect.
Therefore none of the tolerance for defective or dissimilar variety
seeds may be used to reduce the requirement for 50 percent of seeds
with a tinge of green.

Stings. The pea curculio 1s a common and very troublesome
pest which infests southernpea fields,

The adult insect punctures the pod and the skin of the seed to
deposit an egg. This puncture hole, called a sting scar, gradually


-3-

Light. A light fixture producing ample candle power should be (13)
hung about 3 feet above the grading table. An "Examolite" or reflec-
tor with 2 or 3 fluorescent light tubes will be adequate.

Inspection Certificates, The certificate used should be espec~ (14)
dally designed for southern peas, (See Par, 54 )

Slide rule. If gram scales are used, there should be no need (15)
‘for a slide rule. If pound scales are used involving pounds and ounces
or decimal parts of pounds, it will be necessary to use a slide rule
to determine percentages. A rule with either 5-pound or 10-pound max-
imum range is required, (Printed calibration strips for mounting on
wood slide rules are available to shipping point inspection supervisors
from the Washington office.)

SAMPLING

Peas are transported from farm to processing plant in several dif- (16)
ferent container types. Small acreage growers generally use burlap
“cotton sheets" on which they pile about 100 to 200 pounds of peas,
The four corners of the "sheet" are tied together to make a bundle hold-
ing the peas, Large acreage growers usually haul peas in bulk in large
pallet boxes or just loaded into the body of the truck,

Representative sampling, Every reasonable effort shall be made (17)

to obtain a representative sample, When peas are delivered in "cotton
sheets", a large handful should be taken from each container on the
load, Try to force the closed hand down beneath the surface of the
peas and get the handful from that point.

Sampling bulk loads creates a serious problem. If the truck or (18)
pallet boxes are dumped immediately upon delivery, the sample should
be drawn by taking large handfuls of peas from many places around the
pile. This method should give a fairly representative sample, and no
reference need be made to restricted sampling, However, if you are re-
quired to sample and grade thé bulk load before it is dumped, you will
be forced to make a restricted sampling inspection and report on the
certificate under "Remarks” that it was restricted to the upper one
foot of the load which is approximately. feet deep, Draw the sample
by taking a handful of peas from each or many places over the top of the
load.

Size of Sample. Draw a sample several times larger than needed (19)
for grade analysis, in order to be sure that some peas are taken from
many locations in the load,


(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

=2-
(3) This handbook which is designed to help by supple~
menting the grade standards, Refer to it frequently.

(4) Supplemental Instructions which may be issued by
the supervisor.

INSPECTION EQUIPMENT

Items of equipment needed are as follows:

Seales. Sensitive scales which can weigh very small quantities
accurately. Gram scales are much better than pound scales because
they make it easy to convert weights into percentages, Conversion
of pounds and ounces into percentages creates difficult problems,
Scales which can be read in tenths of pounds rather than in ounces
are much preferred for this purpose, Scales should be equipped with
a large scoop with a capacity of about 2, 000 grams or 5 pounds of
peas.

Sheller, A small electric motor-driven device designed express-
ly for removing the seed from the pods of inspection samples, It
has two rubber rollers similar to those in an old-fashioned clothes
wringer, The seeds are forced from the pods as they pass between
the rollers,

Sample containers, A talf dozen or more containers of about
half bushel capacity, Wide, 16-quart metal or plastic pails serve
this purpose very well,

Grading table. The table should be about 40 inches high so
that the inspector can work without bending over, It should be at
least 2-1/2 feet wide by at least 4 feet long to provide space for
the sheller, the scales, some sorting pans and for writing certifi-
cates, .

Pans for seeds. One square, deep pan, preferably made of plas«
tic, which will fit under the sheller to catch the seeds as they
drop through the slot. Several wide, very shallow pans, preferably
white enameled, in which to spread the seeds for close examination,

Garbage can, A large can is needed for disposal of the empty
pods and waste,

Pail, A clean metal or plastic pail can be used for return-
ing the usable pea seeds to the processor.


-5-

Variety. The standards make no provision for distinguishing be-
tween varieties of peas in the pods, No attempt should be made to
separate varieties until after the peas are shelled.

Decay, Generally speaking, decay is not a very important factor,
except: when the inspection covers lots held in bulk for some time and
allowed to become overheated, A pod should be classed as decayed even
if only a portion of it has becomemushy or broken down due to decay
organisms. Weigh any decayed pods found and determine the percentage
by weight.

If peas are inspected and graded after being held over, or after
being transported long distances in bulk, a sufficient number of pods
“may develop decay to prevent them from meeting either grade. The in-
terested partiés should be advised of the fact when a lot fails to
grade for this reason only.

GRADING THE SEEDS

Shelling sample. After the external grade factors have been
determined and recorded, the sample shall be shelled to permit grad-
ing of the seeds. Run the 1,000 grams or 2,000 grams sample (or 2 or
5 lbs.) through the sheller, being careful to avoid losing any seeds.
Immature pods will not release their seeds cleanly from the flesh of
the pod, and such seeds shall not be included when determining the
percentage of recoverable peas.

Weighing recoverable seeds. Weigh all of the recoverable seeds
which are practically free from adhering flesh of the pod, Record
the weight on the note sheet, the purchase specifications are
based upon the percentage of recoverable seeds as well as the grade,
determine that percentage and report it on the certificate, Regard-
less of whether the percentage of recoverable seeds is a part of the
purchase specifications, the total weight of the recoverable seeds may
be used in some cases as the basis for determining the percentage of
defective seeds.

Sorting seeds for defects. After the weight of the recoverable
seeds has been recorded, the seeds are sorted for defects, This grad-
ing of the seeds is done without reference to the previous step of
grading the pods.

In order to facilitate the figuring of percentages and to avoid
mistakes, it is advisable to use a predetermined weight of the seeds
for internal quality analysis, rather than using the total quantity
shelled out. Use 300, 400, or 500 grams, preferably the larger amount,
depending upon the quantity of seeds from the original sample and the
time available, Place All of the seeds in the scales scoop. Then
rake off enough with the fingers to bring the weight down to the quan-

pity to be analyzed, The various seed quality factors are discussed
elow.

(26)

(27)

(28)

(29)

(30)

(31)

(32)


© werent Southern

Food Safety

ao Peas for
i Processing

Fresh Products

Seseen nc Inspection
Instructions

dune, 1966

ESD
ay
iS
ay
SS
=

C3 yi
C ¥
an pS
and "i F - ae
~~ lolol
bg Sad HoT LS LS
vy Cay? aes A ~
» bans Toy SK ~ NY
rt Goa
te ton Bhd . \
te, Get,
vod ay
See

%

of
a o
wb
iar SC
» 4 7
1a .
Sd a
nas
Seep SSP
7

a>


(47)

(48)

(49)

(50)

(51)

(52)

-8.

discoloration as decay, If breakdown has penetrated the flesh of the
seed under the skin or if there is mold on its surface, it should be
scored as decay,

Splits. Some seeds, as they reach a stage approaching full
maturity, have a tendancy to split in the sheller with the two halves
of the seed coming apart. The fact that they split in the sample
sheller is an indication that they are weak and probably would have
split in the commercial sheller. Such seeds are objectionable and
are scored as damaged,

Cracked skins. When the skin is cracked and the flesh of
the seed is exposed, it is classed as damaged, even though the seed
has not split. This condition is apparently the result of failure
of the skin to keep pace with the growth of the seed. Thus, the
skin is stretched to the breaking point,

Bruises, Some of the seeds may get bruised from the shel-
ler or elsewhere along the line during harvesting, Such bruised
seeds shall be ignored unless there is evidence that the load has a
large percentage of peas which have been mechanically damaged. In
that case, the seeds which have been badly bruised or crushed by rough
handling shall be scored as damaged,

Weighing defects, When sorting has been completed, there may
be as many as 6 categories of defects to be weighed and recorded:
1, Dissimilar varieties,
2. Damaged kernels-light to medium skin discoloration,

split skins and splits,
3. Seriously damaged kernéls-stings and dark skin

discoloration,
4, Decayed,
5. Insect eggs,
6. Wormy.

Category 1 above stands alone, scored against the 5 percent tol-

- erance for dissimilar varieties, Categories 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are

added together to determine the total percentage of defects, Cate-
gories 3, 4, 5, and 6 added together gives the total percentage of
serious defects, Categories 4 and 5 added together gives the total
of seeds affected by decay or containing eggs.

Determining Grade. The inspector must bear in mind that U. S.
No, 1 grade provides no tolerance for seeds containing either insects
or insect eggs. If neither of these are present in the analysis sam-
ple and the lot meets the requirements for external quality, seed
color and internal quality, the lot shall be certified as U. S, No. 1
grade.


-T-

turns a darker color and becomes very noticable. Stings are es-
pecially objectionable and are classed as serious defects.

Eggs. Most of the peas with stings show no egg under (41)
the sting, An occasional pea may be found which does contain a
curculio egg, and the inspector shall examine each sting carefully,
The egg is oval in shape, pearly white and only slightly larger than
the point of a pin. It is located just beneath the puncture, U.S.
No, 1 Grade permits no tolerance for eggs, but U. S, No. 2 Grade pro-
vides a 2 percent tolerance for seeds with insect eggs or decay.

Worms, To lookfor either an egg or a very small larva (42)
(worm), break the seed open at the point of the sting, This can be
done with the thumb nail or a knife blade. The egg or larva, if
present, is usually located directly beneath the sting. If the lar-
va has attained some size, it is easily seen, but in its initial
stage detection requires a very careful examination, The egg is also
difficult to see.

Worms (insect larvae) are barred from both U. S. grades of south- (43)
ern peas. When any seed is found to be infested with an insect of
any description, the sample shall be reported as "off grade", regard-
less of the other grade factors determined for the sample. In such:
cases, report the grade factors as usual but also report the number
of worm infested seeds found in the sample, Some processors may agree
to accept loads with very small amounts of infestation which they be-
lieve will not materially. hurt their pack, However, this is a matter
between grower and processor, and the inspector shall report the pres-
ence of worms if he finds them. In most areas, pea fields must be
dusted or sprayed on very precise schedules in an effort to keep the
crop practically free from curculio damage, Exact adherence to recom-
mend dusting schedules and use of high grade insecticides usually prove
highly successful,

Discoloration, A fairly common defect of the seeds is a (44)
stain-like discoloration of the skin, It occurs in many variations.
Most of the discoloration is in various shades of brown, but some is
gray, or almost black, Usually it is limited to the skin of the seed.
Score as defective any pea on which the discoloration shows conspicu-
ously, but do not score those which are not materially affected.

Very dark brown or nearly black discoloration which is extremely (45)
objectionable in appearance is classed as serious damage by the stand-
ards, It shall be scored against the restricted tolerance for serious
defects, —

Decay. Under normal circumstances, there usually will be (46)
little or no decay affecting the seeds, Dark discoloration may be
mistaken for decay, and the inspector should be careful not to score


(20)

(21)

(22)

(23)

(24)

(25)

alte
ANALYSIS SAMPLE

Mixing. Mix the sample thoroughly so that pods from all por-
tions of the load sampled will be fairly evenly distributed. Do
not take the portion of the sample to be analyzed from the top of
the sample container without having mixed it.

Weighing. A portion of the mixed sample is weighed for the
grade analysis. This should be an exact weight such as 1,000 grams
or 2,000 grams or 2 pounds or 5 pounds, The supervisor shall give
specific instructions of the quantity of sample to be analyzed.

EXTERNAL GRADING (PODS)

The sample is analyzed first for external grade factors, and
then for internal grade factors, The two examinations are made sep-
arately, and one should not influence the other. Only three factors
are involved in the external grading, namely: extraneous material,
maturity of the pods, and conditions of the pods.

Extraneous material. Sort out any portions of the plant such as
leaves or stems and also any foreign materials which are in the analy-
sis sample. If portions of vines are attached to pods, separate the
two and place the vine with the extraneous material. Weigh together
all such material and record the percentage as extraneous material.

Maturity. The standards define peas which are “fairly well
matured" and those which are "excessively mature", Pods which are
so young that the inner layer of the pod remains attached to the
majority of the seeds when you attempt to shell them are considered
not fairly well matured, A pod should be scored as excessively
matured if it has lost most of its moisture and the seeds have be~
come much smaller in size and doughy to hard in texture. Pick out
these two classes of pods, if both are present, and weigh separately

to determine the percentage of each.

Freshness. ‘The U, S. No, 1 grade requires the peas to be fairly
fresh. Moderate wilting or flabbiness is to be expected in hot
weather and should be permitted under the definition, If the pods
are badly wilted, heated to a very warm temperature and becoming
flabby, the lot should be automatically barred frém U, S, No, 1.

Such a lot could be graded as U. S. No. 2, provided it met the toler-
ance requirements, When this situation occurrs, make a statement

on the certificate under "Remarks" to show that load "Fails to grade
U. S. No, 1 account not fairly freah."


INSPECTION INSTRUCTIONS

HANDBOOK CONTROL RECORD

DIVISION LETTERS OR OTHER REFERENCES

Page and
Reference Date Peragraph

Delete Insert.

Page Paragraph Dated Page Paragraph Dated



“11.

Care of Certificates, The inspector shall be held responsible (57)
for the supply of certificates in his posession, He should see that
they are kept in a safe place, and make sure that they are not used
by unauthorized persons, At the end of the inspection season or
whenever he terminates his inspection work, he shall turn over all of
the remaining certificates to his supervisor,

Distribution of copies, The supervisor will give instructions (58)
on the distribution pfi the certificate copies, Usually, the pro-
cessor keeps the first copy, the grower the second copy, the third
is turned over to the supervisor or mailed to the inspection office,
and the fourth, if there is one, is kept on file by the inspector,

Correcting certificates. Inspectors should be careful to avoid (59)
errors in writing certificates, If a mistake of a minor nature is
made which does not affect the grade or pricing of the load, the in-
spector may make a correction and place his initials on the certif-
icate close to the correction, In the case of a more serious mistake
which would affect the grade and price, the certificate should be
voided by marking it VOID in very large letters diagonally across its
face, Another certificate shall be written to take its place bearing
the correct information, The voided certificate (all copies), shall
be turned over to the supervisor or inspection office so that the rec-~
ords will show how it was used.

REGRADES

The grower or processor may request another grade on the load if (60)

he believes that the first grade does not accurately represent the

quality of the load. Any reasonable request showld be complied with.

A new sample should be drawn and graded in the usual manner. If the
results of the two inspections are not far apart, the two shall be

averaged and the averages reported as the grade for the load, If the

two results are so widely different as to make it apparent that the

first grade was in error, a certificate shall be issued on the basis

of the second sample,

A certificate may have already been written covering the original (61)
grade before the regrade was requested, In this case, the inspector
shall take back all copies of that certificate and mark them VOID as
instructed in paragraph 59 , However, the instructions in the pre-
ceeding paragraph relative to averaging the first and second sample
grade results apply the same as if the certificate had not been issued,

SUBMITTED SAMPLES
The inspecter may be asked to grade a sample of peas brought to (62)

him by the processor or grower, It will be satisfactory to run a
grade on the sample, However, he shall not show any grower's name


TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION... ccc cccccccnccccsccsccnsnsccccsscsvccseseesceseneee
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ....s+esecccccccccsccccvcccccccsecnsccvceseses
INSPECTION EQUIPMENT. .cccccccscccccvccccccscvccccccscccneseseeses
SAMPLING... cccccccccsercescrcccccccenccscccescseecacacsesses seen
ANALYSIS SAMPLE...... dee ene ne eee nseceneesccessseeneceserensesses

Extraneous Material.

Freshness...
Variety..... eee eeeeee
Decay..cceceee

GRADING THE SEEDS.ccscesececcccccrsccccccceccescceee
Shelling, Weighing and Sorting.
Maturity......ceeceeseeees
Stings, Eggs and Worms....
Discoloration. .
Decay.......
Splits, Cracke Skins and Bruises...
Weighing Defects and Determining Grade.....ssserseeseeseoee

THE CERTIFICATE... cceccccccscccccccccccsccnesccsusescresecsccaees
REGRADES cc cece ccc cccrccsencnscececnsscseceeererenensnerescesesses

SUBMITTED SAMPLES.....cccccseccccccccevcccccrcevccessscccseeseees .

RHRHRH HEH

Numbers
1-4

6-15
16 - 19
20 - 21
22 - 28

27 - 28

29 - 53
29 - 32
3h - 38
39 - 43
uh - 45

47 - 4g
50 - 53

5h - 59
60 - 61
62




=o

If the lot does not meet U, S, No, 1 grade, the more liberal tol-
erances may permit it to meet U, S, No, 2 grade which has no_ seed
color requirement, and does permit up to 2 percent decay or insect
eggs. However, this grade also provides no tolerance for wormy peas,
and a lot containing any worms must be classified as "Off grade" for
that reason,

THE CERTIFICATE

A certificate form designed expressly for reporting the results
of inspections of southern peas is recommended, For greater conven-=
dence, the certificates should be bound together in pads, They should
be serially numbered with not less than an original andthree copies
of each numbered certificate,-

Form, Printing on the certificate should include a heading show-
ing that the form is a southern pea inspection certificate issued by
the local State department of agriculture and the U. S, Department of
Agriculture cooperating, There should be space for the inspection
point and the date, name and address of the applicant (buyer or pro-
cessor), and name and address of the grower (shipper). A recommended
form of certificate is shown as a sample,

Clearing with Washington office, When plans are being made to
establish inspection service for southern peas, the Federal supervis-
or should work with the processors as far in advance as possible. A
draft form of an inspection certificate should be drawn up after care-
ful study of the purchasing specifications which are intended to be
used, A copy of the proposed form shall be submitted to the Washing-
ton office for approval before an order for printing is placed,

(53)

(54)

(55)

(56)


-12«

on the top of the certificate because he did not draw the sample,
and he cannot certify that 1t is representative of any specificload.
Even though the processor's employee may state that the sample came
from a certain grower's load, the inspector shall write "Unknown"
in the space provided for the grower's name, He may show under
"Remarks" that “Applicant states submitted sample draw from load
of (grower's name)"