(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the minimum quality requirements prescribed in § 932.52(a)(1) are modified as follows, for specified styles of canned olives of the ripe type:
(1) Canned whole and pitted olives of the ripe type shall meet the minimum quality requirements as prescribed in table 1 of this section;
(2) Canned sliced, segmented (wedged), and halved olives of the ripe type shall meet the minimum quality requirements as prescribed in table 2 of this section;
(3) Canned chopped olives of the ripe type shall meet the minimum quality requirements as prescribed in table 3 of this section; and shall be practically free from identifiable units of pit caps, end slices, and slices (“practically free from identifiable units” means that not more than 10 percent, by weight, of the unit of chopped style olives may be identifiable pit caps, end slices, or slices); and,
(4) Canned broken pitted olives of the ripe type shall meet the minimum quality requirements as prescribed in table 4 of this section;
(5) A lot of canned ripe olives is considered to meet the requirements of this section if all or most of the sample units meet the requirements specified in tables 1 through 4 of this section: Provided, That the number of sample units which do not meet the requirements specified in tables 1 through 4 of this section does not exceed the acceptance number prescribed for in the sample size provided in table I of 7 CFR 52.38: Provided further, That there is no off flavor in any sample unit.
Table 1 - Whole and Pitted Style
[Defects by count per 50 olives]
| FLAVOR | Reasonably good; no “off” flavor |
| FLAVOR (Green Ripe Type) | Free from objectionable flavors of any kind |
| SALOMETER | Acceptable Range in degrees: 3.0 to 14.0 |
| COLOR | Reasonably uniform with not less than 60% having a color equal or darker than the USDA Composite Color Standard for Ripe Type |
| CHARACTER | Not more than 5 soft units or 2 excessively soft units |
| UNIFORMITY OF SIZE | 60%, by visual inspection, of the most uniform in size. The diameter of the largest does not exceed the smallest by more than 4mm |
| DEFECTS: | |
| Pitter Damage (Pitted Style Only) | 15 |
| Major Blemishes | 5 |
| Major Wrinkles | 5 |
| Pits and Pit Fragments (Pitted Style Only) | Not more than 1.3% average by count |
| Major Stems | Not more than 3 |
| HEVM | Not more than 1 unit per sample |
| Mutilated | Not more than 3 |
| Mechanical Damage | Not more than 5 |
| Split Pits or Misshapen | Not more than 5 |
Table 2 - Sliced, Segmented (Wedged), and Halved Styles
[Defects by count per 255 grams]
| FLAVOR | Reasonably good; no “off” flavor |
| SALOMETER | Acceptable Range in degrees: 3.0 to 14.0 |
| COLOR | Reasonably uniform with no units lighter than the USDA Composite Color Standard for Ripe Type |
| CHARACTER | Not more than 13 grams excessively soft |
| DEFECTS: | |
| Pits and Pit Fragments | Average of not more than 1 by count per 300 grams |
| Major Stems | Not more than 3 |
| HEVM | Not more than 2 units per sample |
| Broken Pieces and End Caps | Not more than 125 grams by weight |
Table 3 - Chopped Style
[Defects by count per 255 grams]
| FLAVOR | Reasonably good; no “off” flavor |
| SALOMETER | Acceptable Range in degrees: 3.0 to 14.0 |
| COLOR | Reasonably uniform with no units lighter than the USDA Composite Color Standard for Ripe Type |
| DEFECTS: | |
| Pits and Pit Fragments | Average of not more than 1 by count per 300 grams |
| Major Stems | Not more than 3 |
| HEVM | Not more than 2 units per sample |
Table 4 - Broken Pitted Style
[Defects by count per 255 grams]
| FLAVOR | Reasonably good; no “off” flavor |
| SALOMETER | Acceptable Range in degrees: 3.0 to 14.0 |
| COLOR | Reasonably uniform with no units lighter than the USDA Composite Color Standard for Ripe Type |
| CHARACTER | Not more than 13 grams excessively soft |
| DEFECTS: | |
| Pits and Pit Fragments | Average of not more than 1 by count per 300 grams |
| Major Stems | Not more than 3 |
| HEVM | Not more than 2 units per sample |
(b) Terms used in this section shall have the same meaning as are given to the respective terms in the current U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned Ripe Olives (7 CFR part 52): Provided, That the definition of “broken pitted olives” is as follows: “Broken pitted olives” consist of large pieces that may have been broken in pitting but have not been sliced or cut.
[62 FR 1242, Jan. 9, 1997]