The FSSAI has proposed standards for Date Paste, Fermented Soybean Paste, Cocoa Mass or Cocoa / Chocolate Liquor and Cocoa Cake, Vegetable Protein Products, Thermally Processed Fruit Salad/Cocktail/Mix, Harrisa (Red Hot Pepper Paste) and Cocoa Powder and has uploaded them on the website on 17 January 2017. The FSSAI has also asked for comments, views, and suggestions from stakeholders on this draft notification within 30 days from the above-mentioned date.
The FSSAI has made some additions in Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation 2011 in the regulation related to FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTS and for cocoa products in the category of ‘SWEETS & CONFECTIONERY.
The title ‘Thermally Processed Fruit Cocktail / Tropical Fruit Cocktail’ will be replaced with Thermally Processed Fruit Salad/Cocktail/Mix
Thermally Processed Fruit Salad/Cocktail/Mix has been defined as a packed, canned, bottled product prepared from a
- The mixture of fruits,
- Fruits can be fresh, frozen or canned
- Packed with water and other suitable liquid packing media
- Maybe packed with nutritive sweeteners
- Processed by heat in an appropriate manner before or after being sealed in a container
QUALITY FACTORS
Packing medium may be
- Water
- Water and fruit juice from fruits used in the product
- Fruit Juice when one or more juice from packed fruits is used
- With sugar from sucrose, invert sugar syrup, dextrose, dried glucose syrup, glucose syrup, fructose and fructose syrup.
When sugars are added the liquid media like fruits juices/water they must not be
- less than 10ºBrix and not more than 13.9º Brix for extra light sweetened fruit juices/ slightly sweetened water /light syrup
- less than 14ºBrix and not more than 17. 9º Brix for lightly sweetened juices/light syrup
- less than 18ºBrix and not more than 21. 9º Brix for heavily sweetened juices/heavy syrup
- not less than 22ºBrix for extra heavily sweetened juices/extra heavy syrup
Characteristic color, flavor, texture, and limit on defects like blemishes, average peel amount, seed material and the vegetative extraneous matter will be attended to for quality determination.
Minimum fill and minimum drained weight of the containers have been outlined.
Special labeling
The following will be declared in close proximity to the product name
- Packed in water
- Packed in (name of the fruit) juice and water when the juice is 50% of the volume
- Packed in (Name of fruit) juice when the juice is the only packing medium
- Packed in (names of fruit) juices when more than one juice issued
- In addition, the number of sweeteners as mentioned above will be mentioned on labels (extra heavy sweetened etc. or heavy syrup for water)
Food additives may be used as per Appendix A of the regulations.
Date Paste
Date paste is a product that is prepared from the fruits of the date palm. Dates must be free from disease and must not contain unripe fruits and must be free of fermentation, mould, insects and other foreign matter.
Characteristic standards for date palms include water, total ash and acid insoluble ash requirements in percentage.
NO food additives are permitted in date paste.
Fermented Soybean Paste
The essential ingredient is soybean from which trypsin inhibitor has been inactivated. The basic ingredients for the paste are
- Soybean
- Salt
- Water
- Naturally occurring or cultivated bacillus spp. or Aspergillus spp.
Optional ingredients include
- Grains or flour as defined in the regulations
- Yeast and yeast extracts
- Lactobacillus or Lactococcus
- Distilled ethyl from agricultural products
- Nutritive sugars including honey as defined in regulations
- Permitted natural flavoring
Standards have been outlined for both fermented soybean and fermented soybean with grains.
The product may contain permitted food additives.
Harrisa (Red Hot Pepper Paste)
Harrisa is made from the preserved pulp of fresh red hot pepper of the Capsicum annum variety, concentrated and preserved using thermal treatment only.
Standards have been set for a percentage of
- total acidity
- dry extract
- added salt
- acid insoluble ash
NO food additives are allowed in Harrisa
Vegetable Protein Products
Vegetable Protein Products (VPP) are food products where non- protein constituents like water, starch, oil etc. have been removed from the vegetable material other than single cell protein sources so that protein content of 40% is achieved.
Optional ingredients that can be used in VPP foods are carbohydrates, sugars, edible fats and oils permitted in the regulations as well as other protein products, vitamins, minerals, salts, herbs, and spices.
Standard requirements are for
- Moisture content
- A crude protein dry basis
- Total ash
- Residual fat
- Crude fiber
Food additives as specified in Appendix A of these regulations may be used.
Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder will be obtained from mechanical transformation into powder form of cocoa press cake resulting from the partial removal of fat from the ground nib of well-fermented sound roasted beans of Theobroma cacao.L
Standards have been proposed for
- Cocoa powder
- Fat reduced cocoa powder
- Highly fat reduced cocoa powder
A requirement for moisture content, cocoa butter on a dry basis, acid insoluble ash, an alkalinity of total Ash, crude fiber on moisture and weight basis have been outlined for all the three types of cocoa powder.
Food Additives may be used as per Appendix A
Cocoa mass or Cocoa/Chocolate Liquor and Cocoa Cake
- Cocoa(cacao) Mass or Cocoa/Chocolate Liquor are products prepared from cocoa beans, seeds of Theobroma cacao which are free from nib shells and be or may not be roasted and with/without removal or addition of any of its constituents
- Cocoa Cake is the product obtained by partial or complete removal of fat from the cocoa nob or mass.
Standards have been given for cocoa mass and cocoa cake with regards to
- Moisture content
- Cocoa shell and germ by weight
- Cocoa butter percentage by weight
- The alkalinity of total Ash
- Acid-insoluble ash
- Crude fiber
All food additives specified in Appendix A are permitted for use
In the regulation relating to ‘OTHER FOOD PRODUCTS AND INGREDIENTS’ the category “Low and High fat Cocoa Powder” will stand omitted.
The following will be complied with in all products along with any other special provisions
Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues
Products must comply with limits specified under the Food Safety and
Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations, 2011
Hygiene
Products will be prepared and handled in accordance with Schedule 4 and will conform to microbiological requirements given in Appendix B of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.
Labeling
The provisions laid down in the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.
Percent value of protein shall be declared on the label of the package
Method of Sampling and Analysis
Sampling and analysis will be carried out as specified in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Manual of Method of Analysis of Food.
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