New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 1 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS › Chapter IV - Markets › Subchapter A - Grading of Farm Products (Article 12-A Agriculture and Markets Law) › Part 162 - Official State Brands Or Trademarks › Section 162.24 - Pear standards

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a)
				  General. New York State Seal of Quality pears shall be pears of one variety
				  which are mature, but not further advanced than firm ripe, carefully
				  hand-picked, clean, fairly well formed, free from decay, internal breakdown,
				  scald, freezing injury, worm holes, black end, free from injury by hard end,
				  and from damage caused by bruises, broken skins, russeting, limbrubs, hail,
				  scars, cork spot, drought spot, sunburn, sprayburn, stings or other insect
				  injury, disease, or mechanical or other means.
(b) Definitions.
(1) Size means the greatest transverse
				  diameter of the pear taken at right angles to a line running from the stem to
				  the blossom end.
(2) Mature means
				  that the pear has reached the stage of maturity which will insure the proper
				  completion of the ripening process.
(i) Before
				  a mature pear becomes over-ripe it will show varying degrees of firmness
				  depending upon the stage of the ripening process. Therefore, a statement of
				  firmness should be given in order to indicate the stage of the ripening
				  process. A description of the ground color should also be given.
(ii) The following terms should be used for
				  describing the ground color: green, light green, yellowish green, and
				  yellow.
(iii) The following terms
				  should be used for describing the firmness of pears.
(a) Hard means that the flesh of the pear is
				  solid and does not yield appreciably even to considerable pressure.
(b) Firm means that the flesh of the pear is
				  fairly solid but yields somewhat to moderate pressure.
(c) Firm-ripe means that the flesh of the
				  pear yields readily to moderate pressure.
(d) Ripe means that the pear is at the stage
				  where it is in its most desirable condition for eating.
(3) Over-ripe means dead ripe,
				  very mealy or soft, past commercial utility.
(4) Carefully hand-picked means that the
				  pears do not show evidence of rough handling or of having been on the
				  ground.
(5) Fairly uniform means
				  not more than five percent of the pears in the container, vary more than 3/4
				  inch in diameter.
(6) Clean means
				  free from excessive dirt, dust, spray residue or other foreign
				  material.
(7) Well formed means
				  having the shape characteristic of the variety. Slight irregularities of shape
				  from type which do not appreciably detract from the general appearance of the
				  fruit shall be considered well formed.
(8) Black end means an abnormally deep green
				  color around the calyx, or black spots usually occurring on the one-third of
				  the surface nearest to the calyx, or by an abnormally shallow calyx
				  cavity.
(9) Fairly well formed
				  means that the pear may be slightly abnormal in shape but not to an extent
				  which detracts materially from the appearance of the fruit. Winter Nelis pears
				  with characteristic slight sutures or with slight flattening on one side and/or
				  other slight irregularities which do not materially detract from the general
				  appearance of the pear shall be considered fairly well formed.
(10) Injury by hard end means when causing
				  more than a slight protrusion at the blossom end.
(11) Damage means any injury or defect which
				  materially affects the appearance or the edible or shipping quality.
(i) Hard end shall be considered as damage if
				  the pear shows an abnormally yellow color at the blossom end, or an abnormally
				  smooth rounded base with little or no depression at the calyx, of if the flesh
				  near the calyx is abnormally dry and tough or woody.
(ii) Slight handling bruises and package
				  bruises such as are incident to good commercial handling in the preparation of
				  a tight pack shall not be considered damage.
(iii) Any pear with one skin break larger
				  than 3/16 inch in diameter or depth, or with more than one skin break
				  one-eighth inch or larger in diameter or depth shall be considered damaged, and
				  scored against the grade tolerance.
(a) Small
				  inconspicuous skin breaks, less than 1/8 inch in diameter or depth, shall not
				  be considered damage. In addition, not more than 10 percent of the pears in any
				  container may have not more than one skin break from 1/8 inch to 3/16 inch,
				  inclusive, in diameter or depth.
(iv) Russeting which exceeds the following
				  shall be considered as damage:
(a) On all
				  varieties excessively rough russeting (russeting which shows "frogging" or
				  slight cracking) when the aggregate area exceeds1/2 inch in diameter.
(b) On bartlett and other smooth-skinned
				  varieties, slightly rough russeting, or thick russeting such as is
				  characteristic of frost injury, when the aggregate area exceeds 3/4 inch in
				  diameter.
(c) On bartlett and other
				  smooth-skinned varieties, smooth solid or smooth netlike russeting when
				  aggregate area exceeds 15 percent of the surface, except that, in addition, on
				  smooth-skinned varieties, any amount of characteristic smooth russeting shall
				  be permitted on that portion of the calyx end not visible for more than 1/2
				  inch along the contour of the pear, when it is placed calyx end down on a flat
				  surface.
(d) On bosc, rough or
				  thick russeting such as is characteristic of frost injury, when the aggregate
				  area exceeds 3/4 inch in diameter. Any amount of characteristic russeting is
				  permitted whether due to natural causes such as weather or stimulated by
				  artificial means; leaf whips or light limbrubs which resemble and blend into
				  russeted areas shall be considered as russet.
(v) Any one of the following defects or any
				  combination thereof, the seriousness of which exceeds the maximum allowed for
				  any one defect, shall be considered as damage:
(a) Any limbrubs which are cracked, softened,
				  or more than slightly depressed.
(b) Black discoloration caused by limbrubs
				  which exceeds an aggregate area of 3/8 inch in diameter.
(c) Dark brown discoloration or excessive
				  roughness caused by limbrubs which exceeds an aggregate area of 1/2 inch in
				  diameter.
(d) Slightly rough, light
				  colored discoloration caused by limbrubs which exceeds an aggregate area of 3/4
				  inch in diameter.
(e) Smooth, light
				  colored discoloration caused by limbrubs which exceeds an aggregate area of one
				  inch in diameter.
(f) Hail marks or
				  other similar depressions or scars which are not shallow or superficial, or
				  where the injury affects an aggregate area of more than 3/8 inch in
				  diameter.
(g) Cork spot when more
				  than one in number is visible externally or when the flesh is materially
				  affected.
(h) Drought spot when
				  more than one in number, or when the external injury exceeds an aggregate area
				  of 3/8 inch in diameter or when the appearance of the flesh is materially
				  affected by corky tissue or brownish discoloration.
(i) Sunburn or sprayburn where the skin is
				  blistered, cracked or shows any light tan or brownish color or the shape of the
				  pear is appreciably flattened, or the flesh appreciably softened or changed in
				  color, except that sprayburn of a russet character shall be considered under
				  the definition of russeting.
(j)
				  Insects.
(1) More than two healed codling
				  moth stings, or any insect sting which is over 3/32 of an inch in diameter, or
				  other insect stings affecting the appearance to an equal extent.
(2) Blister mite or canker worm injury is not
				  shallow or superficial, or where the injury affects an aggregate area of more
				  than 3/8 inch in diameter.
(k) Disease.
(1) Scab spots which are black and which
				  cover an aggregate area of more than 1/4 inch in diameter, except that scab
				  spots of a russet character shall be considered under the definition of
				  russeting.
(2) Sooty blotch which
				  is thinly scattered over more than five percent of the surface, or dark heavily
				  concentrated spots which affect an area of more than 3/8 inch in
				  diameter.
(12) Seriously misshapen means that the pear
				  is excessively flattened or elongated for the variety, or is constricted or
				  deformed so it will not cut three fairly uniform good quarters, or is so badly
				  misshapen that the appearance is seriously affected.
(13) Serious damage means any injury or
				  defect which seriously affects the appearance, or the edible or shipping
				  quality.
(i) Russeting which in the aggregate
				  exceeds the following shall be considered as serious damage.
(a) On all varieties, excessively rough
				  russeting (russeting which shows "frogging" or slight cracking) when aggregate
				  area exceeds 3/4 inch in diameter.
(b) On all varieties, thick russeting such as
				  is characteristic of frost injury 15 percent of the surface.
(c) On bartlett and other smooth-skin
				  varieties, smooth solid or smooth netlike russeting when the aggregate area
				  exceeds 2/3 of the surface, except that, in addition, any amount of
				  characteristic smooth russeting shall be permitted on that portion of the calyx
				  end not visible for more than 1/2 inch along the contour of the pear, when it
				  is placed calyx end down on a flat surface.
(ii) Any one of the following defects or
				  combination thereof, the seriousness of which exceeds the maximum allowed for
				  any one defects, shall be considered as serious damage.
(a) Limbrubs which are more than slightly
				  cracked, or excessively rough limbrubs or dark brown or black discoloration
				  caused by limbrubs which exceeds an aggregate area of 3/4 inch in
				  diameter.
(b) Other limbrubs which
				  affect an aggregate area of more than 1/10 of the surface.
(c) Hail marks or other similar depressions
				  or scars which affect an aggregate area of more than 3/4 inch in diameter, or
				  which materially deform or disfigure the fruit.
(d) Cork spot when more than two in number
				  are visible externally or when the flesh is seriously affected.
(e) Drought spot when more than two in
				  number, or where the external injury affects an aggregate area of more than 3/4
				  inch in diameter, or when the appearance of the flesh is seriously affected by
				  corky tissue or brownish discoloration.
(f) Sunburn or sprayburn where the skin is
				  blistered, cracked or shows any brownish color, or where the shape of the pear
				  is materially flattened, or the flesh is softened or materially changed in
				  color, except that sprayburn of a russet character shall be considered under
				  the definition of russeting.
(g)
				  Insects.
(1) Worm holes. More than three
				  healed coding moth stings, of which not more than two may be over 3/32 seconds
				  of an inch in diameter, or other insect stings affecting the appearance to an
				  equal extent.
(2) Blister mite or
				  canker worm injury which affects an aggregate area of more than 3/4 inch in
				  diameter or when materially deforms or disfigures the fruit.
(h) Disease.
(1) Scab spots which are black, and which
				  cover an aggregate area of more than1/2 inch in diameter, except that scab
				  spots of a russet character shall be considered under the definition of
				  russeting.
(2) Sooty blotch which
				  is thinly scattered over more than 15 percent of the surface, or dark heavily
				  concentrated spots which affect an area of more than3/4 inch in
				  diameter.