EN Official Journal of the European Union C 241/3

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 241/04

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

‘MAGIUN DE PRUNE TOPOLOVENI’

EC No: RO-PGI-0005-0763-04.03.2009

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This Single Document sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Name:

‘Magiun de prune Topoloveni’

2. Member State or third country:

Romania

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed

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

Magiun de prune Topoloveni is a fine, homogenous paste with a shiny surface and which contains no lumps or pieces of peel. These qualities are imparted by the specific local production method. Magiun de prune Topoloveni is made using quality plums that are carefully selected when they are fully ripe. The skin of the fruit is incorporated into the final product, thereby increasing its nutritional value, as it is well-known that the skin contains that greatest proportion of active biological substances and nutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, soluble and insoluble dietary fibre, etc.).

The magiun is dark brown in colour because it is made from plums that are fully ripe. The colour is also influenced by the long boiling time during the concentration phase.

The magiun has a pleasant sweet-sour taste derived from the fully ripe plums, and a strong, pleasant smell. It has no taste or smell of burning, fermentation or mould.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Magiun de prune Topoloveni is made from fully ripe common plums (Prunus domestica L. ssp domestica) and derivatives thereof: Stanley, Pitestean, Tuleu timpuriu, Tuleu gras, Grasa ameliorata, Grasa Romanesca, Bistriteana, Vinata Romaneasca, Brumarii, Valcean, Centenar, Pescarus, Dimbovita, Tomnatici de Caran Sebes, Silvia, Boambe de Leordeni.

These varieties of plum have the qualities needed to make magiun: when they ripen fully over a long period of time at a moderate (mild) temperature they are rich in carbohydrates (natural sugar) and vitamin C.

Only fully ripe and carefully selected fruit are used to produce Magiun de prune Topoloveni. The fruit must be healthy, picked from orchards where chemical fertilisers are not used excessively, and bear no signs of rot, machine damage or visible damage caused by insects, mites or other pests.

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

—

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

The facility in which plums used to make Magiun de prune Topoloveni are processed must be located within the geographical area defined under point 4.

Reception: the plums are delivered to the processing facility and stored in areas especially intended for that purpose, which are cool, clean, and free of any foreign odours.

Washing: performed mechanically in washing machines with showers for rinsing, using cold drinking water. The washing is permanently supervised to ensure that sand or other impurities do not get into the final product.

Sorting: the washed plums travel along a raised conveyor belt, where unsuitable plums are identified and removed.

Heat treatment: the plums are heated in special stainless steel recipients, using steam at a temperature of 80 °C and a pressure of 1,5 atm for 4-5 minutes.

Crushing takes place in two stages: the plums are first passed through fruit pulpers (sieves) with apertures of maximum 3 mm and then through fruit finishers (sieves) with apertures of 1,8-2 mm, so that the pulp is as clean and homogenous as possible.

Concentration: the plum pulp is concentrated by boiling in open, double-walled vats, up to a concentration of minimum 55 % dry matter, thereby producing the Magiun de prune Topoloveni. The purpose of the concentration process is to eliminate water from the plums at a controlled temperature. The concentration process uses steam, which circulates through the double walls of the vats until the product reaches a concentration of 50-52 °Bx. The process lasts 9-12 hours depending on the dry matter content of the raw material.

The double-walled vats are fitted with wooden anchor stirrers, which ensure that the plum pulp is constantly kept in a homogenous state in order to prevent sticking and caramelisation. Concentration is checked by qualified staff using a portable refractometer to determine the quality of the finished product. Boiling time should not be extended beyond the point where a concentration of 60 °Bx has been attained, as this can result in the Magiun de prune Topoloveni acquiring a burnt smell and taste. Reducing boiling time, on the other hand, may cause the finished product to ferment.

Decanting — cooling: The batch of Magiun de prune Topoloveni is decanted evenly by hand into three 200 litre capacity barrels lined with PVC sacks (food-quality film), using large wooden spoons. The magiun is deposited in thin layers to speed up the process of cooling at room temperature before being stored in special storage areas.

The barrels lined with food-quality film are filled gradually over 5-7 days, which is the time it takes the Magiun de prune Topoloveni to cool completely, depending on room temperature. Cooling is checked organoleptically, using a wooden paddle or ladle (spoon).

The addition of preservatives or sweeteners is prohibited, regardless of the quality of the raw material used.

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

Magiun de prune Topoloveni is packaged and stored within the defined geographical area, specifically in the town of Topoloveni, to prevent any alteration of its qualities. The procedure for maturing and drying the magiun must be strictly followed.

If the packaging is not properly done, physical, chemical and biological agents acting under the effects of the air and heat outside the barrels may affect the colour, smell and taste of the magiun.

The product must be monitored throughout the packaging and cooling period to prevent condensation (i.e. the appearance of microscopic quantities of water), which could facilitate the growth of micro-organisms such as bacteria, yeasts and moulds.

Magiun de prune Topoloveni is packaged in bulk and in jars.

The bulk product is packaged in barrels lined with food-quality film (PVC sack). The barrels containing the magiun are cooled, the edges of the PVC sacks (food-quality film) are cleaned and folded over, a PVC disk of food-quality film is placed on top and the barrels are then sealed with a lid.

Bulk packaging is necessary because only fresh plums are used as raw material, and these are available for a short period of time only, up to 60 days per year (15 August to 15 October). The bulk-packaged product is not pasteurised.

Packaging in glass jars: the jars are filled automatically (i.e. on a packaging line)with Magiun de prune Topoloveni, sealed and then pasteurised as follows:

— for 350 g jars, the following method is used: the temperature is raised to 100 °C over 15 minutes, maintained at this level for 25 minutes and then returned to the original temperature over 15 minutes,

— for 800 g jars, the following method is used: the temperature is raised to 105 °C over 15 minutes, maintained at this level for 45 minutes and then returned to the original temperature over 15 minutes.

The jars containing Magiun de prune Topoloveni are removed from the autoclave, placed in containers and stored in the special storage area, i.e. in clean, cool (maximum temperature 20 °C), well-ventilated storage spaces that are protected from freezing and which contain no foreign odours.

The different stages in the process of making Magiun de prune Topoloveni (the heating of the plums, the concentration of the plum pulp and lastly the bulk packaging of the magiun in barrels) all take a long time, in keeping with the tradition of the product.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

Labelling takes place in the storage area and is carried out in accordance with the legislation in force.

Each container must bear the producer's label. The name ‘Magiun de prune Topoloveni’ must appear on this label.

After Community registration, the words ‘protected geographical indication’ or the abbreviation PGI will have to appear on the packaging label, next to the product name: ‘Magiun de prune Topoloveni’.

The right-hand part of the label must bear the inspection and certification body's product certification mark: ‘LAREX CERT’.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area of production of Magiun de prune Topoloveni comprises the following administrative area:

— the town of Topoloveni,

— the village of Vițichești,

— the village of Țigănești,

— the village of Boțarcani,

— the village of Gorănești,

— the village of Crințești,

— the village of Inuri,

— the village of Goleștii Badii.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The Topoloveni fruit-growing area is ideal for plum-growing, owing to the temperate continental climate and local pedoclimatic conditions. The slopes, where average annual temperatures are higher than in other fruit-growing areas, are particularly suitable. The area is characterised by podzols and red-brown podzolic soils.

The predominant type of soil is brown earth, ranging from luvisols to eroded, colluvial and alluvial brown earths, with an average or low humus content.

Weather conditions in the area are favourable for fruit tree cultivation: the average multi-annual temperature is 9,7 °C, the absolute maximum temperature is 38,8 °C and the absolute minimum temperature is – 24,4 °C; total annual precipitation is 663,3 mm.

The first autumn frosts come at the end of October and the last frosts occur in the second 10-day period of April or, very occasionally, later.

The proportions of the different plum varieties vary each year depending on weather conditions.

Plums are grown on approximately 25 % of the total area of fruit-growing land. In Argeș county plum orchards occupy around 17 000 ha.

Local expertise in selecting the plums, monitoring the boiling and maturing process and testing the product organoleptically have helped to preserve and develop the method of making magiun that is specific to the geographical area.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

Magiun de prune Topoloveni is a product with a firm consistency, made from plums that are harvested when fully ripe, carefully selected and then boiled in indirectly fired special double-walled vats and continuously stirred with wooden stirrers. Because water is eliminated during the manufacturing process, Magiun de prune Topoloveni is rich in soluble and insoluble dietary fibre (34,2 %). It does not contain any added sugars or other sweeteners and it has the aroma and flavour of plums.

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):

The link between Magiun de prune Topoloveni and the production region lies chiefly in the product's reputation, which stems from a long-standing and unique production tradition and its exceptional health-giving qualities. These are the result of local expertise and the local production method.

The locally developed production method consists in processing specific varieties of plum by boiling them over a long period of time in open, double-walled vats while constantly stirring the pulp until the magiun is obtained, without adding sugar or preservatives.

The skill and experience of the local population are different from the methods used in other parts of Romania and in neighbouring regions, as the boiling and concentration process takes place in twin open vats and never in a vacuum.

The local method of preparing magiun has been passed down from one generation to the next, and its reputation has been maintained, both in the geographical area and throughout Romania.

Magiun is mentioned in ethnographic documents as being an important product for most of the inhabitants of the Topoloveni area, and is one of the local sources of income. Topoloveni market, which is the main market in the area, is well-known throughout the southern sub-Carpathians for the plum products that are sold there, and in particular for magiun.

The quality and the characteristic features of Magiun de prune Topoloveni are guaranteed by the method used to produce it: the boiling of the plums to eliminate water, the concentration of the plums at a controlled temperature and the constant stirring of the product with wooden stirrers to give it a homogenous texture. These production stages are not part of the process in other regions.

The reputation of Magiun de prune Topoloveni is linked to a long tradition of magiun production in Topoloveni. According to local archives, the tradition of making magiun in the area dates back to 1914, when the first magiun factory was established by a local family (the family of Maximilian Popovici).

In 1941, the factory was taken over by the Ministry of Agriculture and given the name ‘Cooperativa din Topoloveni’ (Topoloveni Cooperative) so that magiun production capacity could be increased. In 1972, the factory's name was changed to ‘Intreprinderea de legume și fructe Pitești’ (Pitești Vegetable and Fruit Enterprise). In 1981, the factory was taken over by the local authorities and renamed ‘Intreprinderea de prelucrarea și industrializarea legumelor si fructelor Topoloveni’ (Topoloveni Vegetable and Fruit Processing Enterprise). In 2001, the factory was purchased by SC Sonimplex Serv Com SRL. Production of Magiun de prune Topoloveni currently stands at around 200 tonnes per year.

The reputation of Magiun de prune Topoloveni is attested by frequent articles and specialist reports in the local and national media (Jurnalul Național, Adevărul, the Money Channel, Gândul, Capital) and by the prizes it has won since 2002 at exhibitions, such as Salonul Național de Conserve (National Canned Products Fair) organised by the Romanian General Industrial Association, where it won the Marca de Aur (Golden Trademark) prize for excellence in the magiun category. In 2010, Magiun de prune Topoloveni was awarded a prize by the ITQI (International Taste & Quality Institute).

In 2008-2010, programmes were broadcast in the local and national media, promoting the specific qualities of Magiun de prune Topoloveni. The authenticity of Magiun de prune Topoloveni is maintained by the fact that it continues to be sold at farmers’ markets like the one in Topoloveni.

The local culinary tradition of magiun has also been strengthened by presentations and tastings at national and international trade fairs and exhibitions (Green Week Berlin, Fruit Logistica Berlin, Alimentaria Barcelona).

Publication reference of the specification:

Website: http://www.mapam.ro, link ‘Agricultura’ and sub-heading ‘produse alimentare’

http://www.madr.ro/pages/page.php?self=01&sub=0103&art=010305&var=010302

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