EN Official Journal of the European Union C 44/18

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2010/C 44/07

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘ ’ (LONGKOU FEN SI)

EC No: CN-PGI-0005-0623-16.07.2007

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘ ’ (Longkou Fen Si)

2. Member State or Third Country:

People’s Republic of China

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 2.7: Pasta

3.2. Description of product to which the name in (1) applies:

Longkou Fen Si is a threadlike dry starch product made from green beans and peas.

In appearance, Longkou Fen Si is white and translucent; every single piece is of the same thickness (with no doubling or broken pieces); it is soft and elastic; it tastes pure and does not have a strange aroma and it has no impurity apparent to naked eye. Its most typical characteristic is its ability to endure boiling temperatures without any gelatinisation. Even after being boiled for one hour, pieces will still not stick to each other and there will be no gelatinisation and no/few broken pieces.

Longkou Fen Si is characterised by a high starch content of over 75 %, water content less than 15 %, thread diameter less than 0,7 mm, and the ratio of broken vermicelli less than 10 % when boiled in water for 45 minutes, and ash content less than 0,5 %.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Longkou Fen Si is made from green beans or peas.

There is no restriction on the place of origin of the raw materials; imported produce may also be used.

No fertilisers or chemicals may be used to grow the green beans and peas. Preference is give to produce grown in the same year. The maximum storage period of raw materials should not exceed one year; other conditions include:

— the use of plump, unbroken seeds,

— no more than 1 % impurities or seeds of different colour, and

— moisture content less than 13,5 %.

Water should be from the water sources in the geographical area.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area:

Soaking the green beans or peas, precipitation and separation of starch paste, beating the paste, filtering and (sun or hot air) drying must take place in the defined geographical area.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

Dried Longkou Fen Si is packed according to customers’ requirements.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The Longkou Fen Si product label should include the following information: product name, name and address of the manufacturer, trademark, package specification, date of production and shelf life, ingredients and batch number.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The area is located in the north of Shandong Peninsula, covering Longkou City, Zhaoyuan City, Penglai City, Laiyang City and Laizhou City, within the administrative region of Yantai City of Shandong Province in China. The Yellow River and the Jie River run through the area.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

Such rivers as the the Yellow River and the Jie River run through the geographical area, and the water quality is good. The region is typically a warm continental monsoon region, with a semi-humid climate. It has four distinct seasons, moderate wind, suitable temperatures, low air humidity, long daylight hours and a unique microbial system.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

Longkou Fen Si is characterised by its high starch content, high flexibility, and its lack of impurities. When Longkou Fen Si is cooked in boiled water for 45 minutes, the ratio of broken vermicelli is less than 10 %.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI).:

Natural factors

Water quality. Starch quality control is of great importance in the production process. The primary method of producing starch is as follows: after pulping the soaked green beans or peas, remove the skin residue; the starch is condensed under the effect of Streptococcus lactis; then extract the starch by drying. This technique is known as acidic steep liquor fermentation. In this process, Streptococcus lactisplays an essential role, while water quality is a key element in the growth and reproduction of Streptococcus lactis. Water that is unpolluted and odourless, fresh tasting, not bitter, and rich in minerals is commonly called sweet water. The presence of metal particles and inorganic salts in the sweet water has a great impact on the growth and reproduction of beneficial microorganisms and the enzymes they produce. This in turn will influence the condensation and retention of starch and its quality. Polluted water or water with an excessively high or low PH value or too many chlorine or sulfate ions will continuously inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, and may cause the microorganisms to produce clusterin, thus rendering them incapable of condensing the starch. It follows that water quality has a great impact on the output rate of the starch and the quality of the Longkou Fen Si. It is commonly said that processing vermicelli is just like extracting silver from the water. The same craftsman, with the same techniques, can produce high quality vermicelli in the Longkou Fen Si geographical area, but will not produce vermicelli of similar quality in other areas, and will even be unable to extract starch in some areas. This clearly shows the influence of water quality on Longkou Fen Si. There are many mountains and hills in the region of Yantai. Water in the rivers comes from mountain springs. They are free of pollution, with a PH value of 6.9-7.4 and a low content of chloride and sulfate ions. The water here is suitable for extracting starch from green beans and peas using acidic steeping liquor fermentation, and is conducive to the high starch yield in Longkou Fen Si.

Climate and geographical environment. Another key factor for the quality of Longkou Fen Si is drying. Longkou Fen Si production can be divided into two periods: spring and autumn. The spring period runs from the Spring Equinox to the Summer Solstice, and the autumn one from the White Dew to the Heavy Snow, making six months in all. Vermicelli produced in the periods from the Grain Rain to the beginning of summer and from the Autumn Equinox to the beginning of winter are the best. At other times, vermicelli quality is inferior to the spring and autumn production. This is mainly because the temperature is too low in winter, so it is difficult for the Streptococcus lactis to reproduce in fermentation. Vermicelli which dries too slowly or even gets frozen is of inferior quality, while during summer, the temperature is too high, and it is hard to control contamination by other bacteria in fermentation. Other problems may be too much rain, too little wind and excessively strong sunlight when drying. All these factors combined result in inferior quality vermicelli. The temperature in the production area of Longkou Fen Si is favourable to Streptococcus lactis reproduction. And the suitable wind speed and humidity aid the drying process.

With technological improvements, hot air drying is gradually taking over from the traditional process of sun drying. It is a modified process imitating the basic conditions of sun drying. At present, sun drying and hot air drying are both used in the production of Longkou Fen Si.

Human factors

It is a fact that, as early as in the Northern Wei period, people in Zhaoyuan had mastered the techniques of producing starch, and started to produce ordinary vermicelli in the Song Dynasty.

In the 19th century, workshops producing vermicelli from green beans were established in the present Beilizhuang Village of Zhangxing Town in Zhaoyuan City; these are the oldest vermicelli workshops preserved today.

In 1860, Hongtai Vermicelli Shop was founded in Hongkong to purchase vermicelli produced in Zhaoyuan and shipped them from Longkou. The characters ‘Longkou Fen Si’ were on the outer packages, and ever since then the product has been known by the name Longkou Fen Si.

In 1862, the Qing government established the East Customs Office at Yantai with a subsidiary office at Longkou which was very active in promoting the transportation and sales of Longkou Fen Si. Longkou Port was opened for external trade in January 1914. More and more people in Zhaoyuan started running vermicelli shops in Longkou, stimulating the export of Longkou Fen Si. As a result, Longkou Fen Si now enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad.

Given its long standing reputation, the name Longkou Fen Si has been used to boost the export trade by the foreign trade departments in Shandong Province.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.