Product Standards

Frozen Shrimps or Prawns

Frozen Shrimps or Prawns means the product prepared from fresh shrimps of sound quality belonging to Penaeidae, Pandalidae, Crangonidae, Palaeomonidae Solenoceridae, Aristeidae and Sergestidae families. The product shall not contain a mixture of genera but may contain mixture of species of same genus with similar sensory properties. The product may be peeled or unpeeled, raw or cooked. The product may be glazed with water. The product shall conform to the following requirements:—

S.No. Characteristics Requirements in Raw Product Requirement in Cooked Product
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30 mg/100 gm Absent in 25gm

Frozen Lobsters

Frozen Lobsters means the product prepared from fresh lobsters of sound quality belonging to the genus Homarus of the family Nephropidae and from the families Palinuridae and Scyllaride. The Norway Lobster may be prepared from Nephros norvegicus. The product shall not be a mixture of different species. The product may be raw or cooked. The product may be glazed with water. The product shall conform to the following requirements:—

S.No. Characteristics Requirements in Raw Product Requirement in Cooked Product
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30 mg/100 gm Absent in 25gm

Frozen squid and parts of squid

Frozen squid and parts of squid means the product prepared from fresh squid of sound quality belonging to squid species of Loliginidae, Ommastrephidae Onychoteuthide and Thysanotenthidae families. The product may be glazed with water. No food additive is allowed in this product. The product shall conform to the following requirements:

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30 mg/100 gm

Frozen finfish

Frozen finfish means the product prepared from fresh fish of good quality. The product may be with or without head from which viscera or other organs have been completely or partially removed. The product may be glazed with water. The products shall conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30 mg/ 100gm
(2) Histamine Not more than 20 mg / 100gm

Frozen fish fillets or minced fish flesh

Frozen fish fillets or minced fish flesh or mixtures thereof are products obtained from fresh wholesome fish of any species or mixtures of species with similar-sensory properties. Fillets may be pieces of irregular size and shape with or without skin. Minced fish flesh consists of particles of skeletal muscle". and is free from bones, viscera and skin. The product may be glazed with water. The products shall conform to the following requirement:-

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30 mg/ 100gm
(2) Histamine Not more than 20 mg / 100gm

Note I: Products under article 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5 shall be frozen in an appropriate equipment quickly to minus (-) 18º C or colder in such a way that the range of temperature of maximum crystallization is passed quickly. The quick freezing process shall not be regarded as complete unless the product temperature has reached minus (-) 18º C or colder at the thermal centre after thermal stabilization. The product shall be kept deep frozen so as to maintain the quality during transportation, storage and sale. The entire operation including processing and packaging shall ensure minimum dehydration and oxidation. The product may contain food additives permitted in Appendix A except listed product under regulation 2.6.1 (3). The product shall conform to the microbiological requirement given in Appendix B. The products shall be free from any foreign matter and objectionable odour/flavour.

Dried shark fins

Dried shark fins means the product prepared from dorsal and pectoral fins, lower lobe of caudal fin and Pelvic from fresh shark of edible quality. The product shall be free from adhering flesh and may be with or without skin. The product shall be dried in a suitable manner and shall be free from any food additive. The product shall be free from foreign matter, objectionable odour or flavour and rancidity. No food additive is allowed in this product. The products shall conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Moisture Not more than 10.0 percent
(2) Ash insoluble in HCl on dry basis Not more than 1.0 percent
(3) Yeast and Mould Count Absent in 25gm

Salted fish/dried salted fish

Salted fish/dried salted fish means the product prepared from fresh wholesome fish. The fish shall be bled, gutted, beheaded, split or filleted and washed. The fish shall be fully saturated with salt (Heavy salted) or partially saturated to a salt content not less than 10 percent by weight of the salted fish which has been dried. The product shall be free from foreign matter, objectionable odour and flavour. The product may contain food additives permitted in Appendix A. The product shall conform to the microbiological requirement given in Appendix B. The products shall conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Moisture Not more than 16.0 percent
(2) Sodium chloride Not less than 10.0 percent and
    not more than 15.0 percent
(3) Ash insoluble in HCl on dry basis Not more than 1.0 percent
(4) Yeast and Mould Count Absent in 25gm

Canned finfish

Canned finfish means the product prepared from the flesh of fresh finfish of sound quality belonging to any one species or mixture of species within the same genus having similar sensory properties. The product shall be free from head, tail and viscera. The product may be packed in any suitable packing medium. The packing medium and other ingredients used shall be of food grade quality. The products shall conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Histamine Content Not more than 20 mg/100 gm
(2) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30mg/ 100gm

Canned Shrimp

Canned Shrimp means the product prepared from fresh shrimp of sound quality from any combination of species of families Penaeidae, Pandalide, Crangonidae and Palaemonidae from which heads, shell and antenna have been removed. The product may be in the form of peeled shrimps which have been headed and peeled without removal of the dorsal tract or cleaned and deveined shrimps in which the back is cut open after peeling and dorsal tract has been removed upto the last segment next to the tail or broken shrimps consisting of pieces of peeled shrimp of less than four segments with or without the vein removed. The packing medium and other ingredients shall be of food grade quality. The products shall conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30 mg/100 gm
(2) Acidity in brine expressed as Citric Acid Not more than 0.2 percent

Canned sardines or sardine type products

Canned sardines or sardine type products means, the product prepared from fresh or frozen fish belonging to Sardinia pilchardus, Sardinia milanostictusl neopilchardusl ocellatus/sag ax/caeruleus, Sardinia aurita/brasiliensisl maderensisl longicepsl gibbosa celupea harengus, Sprattus sprattus, Hypertophus vittatus, Nematolosaviaminghi, Etrumeus teses, Ethmedium maculatun, Engranulis anchoita/mordax/ringens and opisthonema oglinum.

The product shall be free from head and gills. It may be free from scales and or tail. The fish may be eviscerated. If eviscerated it shall be practically free from visceral parts other than roe milt or kidney. If ungutted it shall be practically free from undigested feed or used feed. The product shall be packed in any suitable medium. The packing medium and all other ingredients shall be of food grade quality. The products shall also conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Histamine Content Not more than 20 mg/100 gm
(2) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30mg/100 gm

Canned salmon

Canned salmon means the product prepared from fresh fish of sound quality belonging to any of the species of Salmosalar or Oncorhynctus nerka/kisutchl tschawytscha/gorboscha/ketax and masou species. The product shall be free from head, viscera, fins and tails. The product shall be packed in any suitable medium. The packing medium and all other ingredients shall be of food grade quality. No food additive is allowed in this product. The product shall conform to the following requirement.

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements in Raw Product
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30 mg/100 gm

Canned crab

Canned crab meat means the product prepared from live crabs of sound quality from any of the edible species of the suborder Branchyura or the order Decapoda and all species of the family Lithodiadae. The product shall be prepared singly or in combination from the leg, claw, body and shoulder meat from which the shell has been removed. The product shall be packed in any suitable medium. The packing medium and all other ingredients shall be of food grade quality. The products shall conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30mg/100 gm
(2) Acidity in brine expressed as Citric Acid Not less than 0.06 percent and
    Not more than 0.2 percent

 

Canned Tuna and Bonito

Canned Tuna and Bonito means the product prepared from fresh fish of sound quality belonging to Thunnus alalunga/albacaresl atlanticusl obessul maccoyiil thynnusl tongoe, Euthynnus affinisl alleteratusl Jinlatus/ Sarda chilentis/orienlalisl Sarda and Katsuwonus pelamis (syn Euthynnus pelamis) species. The product may be in the form of segments with or without skin, chunks, flakes or grated / shredded particles. The product shall be packed in any suitable medium. The packing medium and all other ingredients shall be of food grade quality. The products shall conform to the following requirements:—

Sl. No. Characteristics Requirements
(1) Histamine Content Not more than 20mg/100 gm
(2) Total Volatile Base (Nitrogen) Not more than 30mg/100 gm


Note II: All the product listed under articles 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 shall be packed in hermetically sealed clean and sound containers and subjected to adequate heat treatment followed by rapid cooling to ensure commercial sterility. The container shall be free from rust and mechanical defects. The container shall not show any change or incubation at 37ºC for 7 days. The final product shall be free from foreign matter, objectionable odour, or flavour. The products may contain food additives permitted in Appendix A except products listed under regulation 2.6.1 (11). The product shall conform to the microbiological requirement given in Appendix B.

Note- Without prejudice to the standards laid down in this Appendix, whenever water is used in the manufacture or preparation of any article of food, such water shall be free from micro-organisms likely to cause disease and also free from chemical constituents which may impair health.

FLAVOUR ENHANCERS

Monosodium Glutamate shall not be added to any food for use by infant below twelve months and in the following foods:—