ARS 922: Headed cabbages -- Specification

2012·3.3 MB·English

by  African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO – ORAN)

The African Organisation
for Standardisation
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ARS 922 (2012) (English): Headed cabbages
-- Specification

AFRICAN CD-ARS
STANDARD 922

First Edition 2012

Headed cabbage — Specification

Reference No. ARS 921:2012(E)
ICS 67.080.20

© ARSO 2012
CD-ARS 922:2012

Table of contents

1 Scope ............................................................................................................................................ 1
2 Normative references.................................................................................................................... 1
3 Definitions ..................................................................................................................................... 2
4 Provisions concerning quality ....................................................................................................... 3
4.1 General ......................................................................................................................................... 3
4.2 Minimum requirements ................................................................................................................. 3
4.3 Classification ................................................................................................................................. 3
5 Provisions concerning sizing ........................................................................................................ 4
6 Provisions concerning tolerances ................................................................................................. 4
6.1 Quality tolerances ......................................................................................................................... 4
6.2 Size tolerances ............................................................................................................................. 5
7 Provisions concerning presentation .............................................................................................. 5
7.1 Uniformity ...................................................................................................................................... 5
7.2 Packaging ..................................................................................................................................... 5
7.3 Presentation .................................................................................................................................. 5
8 Marking or labelling ....................................................................................................................... 5
8.1 Consumer packages ..................................................................................................................... 5
8.2 Non-retail containers ..................................................................................................................... 6
9 Contaminants ................................................................................................................................ 6
9.1 Heavy metals ................................................................................................................................ 6
9.2 Pesticide residues ......................................................................................................................... 6
10 Hygiene ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Annex B (informative) Storage in the open .......................................................................................... 11
Annex C (informative) Guide to cold storage and refrigerated transport ............................................. 17
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 21

ii © ARSO 2012 — All rights reserved
CD-ARS 922:2012

Foreword

The African Organization for Standardization (ARS) is an African intergovernmental organization
made up of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Organization of
African Unity (AU). One of the fundamental mandates of ARSO is to develop and harmonize African
Standards (ARS) for the purpose of enhancing Africa’s internal trading capacity, increase Africa’s
product and service competitiveness globally and uplift the welfare of African communities. The work
of preparing African Standards is normally carried out through ARSO technical committees. Each
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right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, regional economic
communities (RECs), governmental and non-governmental organizations, in liaison with ARSO, also
take part in the work.

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adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
ARSO Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.

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patent rights. ARSO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This African Standard was prepared by the ARSO Technical Harmonization Committee on Agriculture
and Food Products (ARSO/THC 1).

© African Organisation for Standardisation 2012 — All rights reserved*

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P. O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square
NAIROBI, KENYA

Tel. [phone]
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*
 2012 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs.

© ARSO 2012 — All rights reserved iii
CD-ARS 922:2012

Copyright notice

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by participants in the ARSO standards development process is permitted without prior
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© African Organisation for Standardisation 2012 — All rights reserved

ARSO Central Secretariat
International House 3rd Floor
P.O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square
NAIROBI, KENYA

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.arso-oran.org

Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.
Violators may be prosecuted.

iv © ARSO 2012 — All rights reserved
CD-ARS 922:2012

Introduction

Headed cabbage belongs to the "Brassica" family of vegetables, which also include brussels sprouts,
cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale, and broccoli. It is one of the widely cultivated crops around the
world. The scientific name is Brassica oleracea (capitata group).

Cabbage structurally consists of clusters of stiff leaves superimposed one over the other in compact
layers, giving it a round or globular shape. Several varieties are cultivated worldwide including green,
purple, red, and savoy (loose-wrinkled leaves).

The vegetable is a rich source of phyto-chemicals like thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zea-
xanthin, sulforaphane, and isothiocyanates. These compounds are powerful antioxidants and known
to help protect against breast, colon, and prostate cancers and help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol"
levels in the blood.

Fresh cabbage is an excellent source of natural antioxidant, vitamin C, vitamin K, essential vitamins
such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and thiamin (vitamin B-1) and also
contains an adequate amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium.
Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and
blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide
dismutase. Iron is required for the red blood cell formation.

© ARSO 2012 — All rights reserved v

AFRICAN STANDARD CD-ARS 922:2012(E)

Headed cabbage — Specification

1 Scope

This standard applies to headed cabbages of varieties (cultivars) grown from Brassica oleracea var.
capitata L. (including red cabbages and pointed cabbages) and from Brassica oleracea L. var. bullata
DC. and var. sabauda L. (savoy cabbages) to be supplied fresh to the consumer, headed cabbages
for industrial processing being excluded.

2 Normative references

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.

ARS 53, General principles of food hygiene — Code of practice

ARS 56, Prepackaged foods — Labelling

CAC/GL 21, Principles for the establishment and application of microbiological criteria for foods

CAC/RCP 44, Recommended international code of practice for the packaging and transport of tropical
fresh fruits and vegetables

CAC/RCP 53, Code of hygienic practice for fresh fruits and vegetables

CODEX STAN 193, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed

ISO 874, Fresh fruits and vegetables — Sampling

ISO 2169, Fruits and vegetables — Physical conditions in cold stores — Definitions and
measurement

ISO 6561-1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part
1: Method using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

ISO 6561-2, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part
2: Method using flame atomic absorption spectrometry

ISO 6633, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content — Flameless
atomic absorption spectrometric method

ISO 6634, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of arsenic content — Silver
diethyldithiocarbamate spectrophotometric method

ISO 6637, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of mercury content — Flameless
atomic absorption method

ISO 7563, Fresh fruits and vegetables — Vocabulary

ISO 7952, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of copper content — Method
using flame atomic absorption spectrometry

ISO 9526, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of iron content by flame atomic
absorption spectrometry

© ARSO 2012 — All rights reserved 1
CD-ARS 922:2012(E)
ISO 17239, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of arsenic content — Method
using hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

3 Definitions

For the purposes of this standard, the terms and definitions in ISO 7563, and the following terms and
definitions apply.

3.1
similar varietal characteristics
the cabbage in each container shall have the same general characteristics

3.2
reasonable solidity
fairly firm for pointed type cabbage and southern Domestic type cabbage. Northern Domestic type
cabbage and Danish or Hollander type cabbage shall be firm. "Reasonable solidity'' as applied to
Savoy cabbage means not soft or puffy; Savoy type cabbage is characteristically loosely formed and
rather light in weight.

3.3
puffy
the heads are very light in weight in comparison to size, or have excessive air spaces in the central
portion. They normally feel firm at time of harvesting but often soften quickly. They are known as
"Balloon Heads'' in certain sections.

3.4
seed-stems
those heads which have seed stalks showing or in which the formation of seed stalks has plainly
begun

3.5
damage
any injury or defect which materially affects the appearance, or the edible or shipping quality. Worm
injury on the outer head leaves or wrapper leaves which materially affects the appearance of the head
or worm holes which extend deeply into the compact portion of the head shall be considered as
damage.

3.6
well trimmed
the head shall not have more than four wrapper leaves

3.7
fairly well trimmed
the head shall not have more than seven wrapper leaves

3.8
wrapper leaves
leaves which do not enfold the head fairly tightly more than two-thirds the distance from the base to
the top

3.9
reasonably firm
the head is not soft and is of reasonable weight for its size but may have considerable open spaces
between the leaves in the lower portion of the head

3.10
serious damage
any injury or defect which seriously affects the appearance, or the edible or shipping quality. Cabbage
which is affected by soft rot or which is seriously puffy, badly burst, or seriously injured by seedstems,
discoloration, freezing, disease, insects, mechanical or other means shall be considered as seriously
2 © ARSO 2012 — All rights reserved