FFB Grading Standards at Mills

Objectives :
To set standards in the grading of fresh fruit bunches at the mill ramp.

Policy :
To assist in identifying origin and quantity of differing quality FFB delivered to the mill and to provide valuable independent feed back on FFB quality to contributing estates.

Grading Scheme
All bunches in the sample batch shall first be sorted into :-
a) Unclassifiable bunches as defined in :- the number of bunches which are unclassified should be recorded as a percentage of the total bunches in the sample batch.

b) Balance : Only the balance of the bunches are then to be graded.

2 parts :-
1) Grading for Ripeness
2) Grading for Unsatisfactory Bunches

DEFINITIONS

1. Ripeness of Bunches

a) Ripe Bunch

i) Ripe bunch is fresh bunch which has reddish orange color and the outer layer fruitlets mesocarp is orange in color. This bunch has at least 10 fresh sockets of detached fruit let and more than fifty percent (50%) of the fruits still attached to the bunch at the time of inspection at the mill. The bunch and the loose fruits are to be sent to mill within 24 hours after harvesting.

In instance where the clone produces black colored bunch, this bunch must have 10 fruitlets detached and the mesocarp when spliced should be orange in color to qualify as a ripe bunch.

In this instance Estates are reminded that under no circumstances should unripe bunches be harvested.

b) Loose Fruit

All detached loose fruits must be collected soonest possible without debris and sent to the mill for immediate processing Estates must ensure 100% loose fruit recovery at all times.

c) Under ripe Bunch

Under ripe bunch is a fresh bunch which has reddish orange color or purplish red color and the outer layer fruitlet mesocarp is yellowish orange in color. The bunch has less than 10 fresh sockets of detached fruitlets at the time of inspection at the mill. The bunch and the loose fruits are to be sent to the mill within 24 hours after harvesting.

c) Unripe Bunch

Unripe bunch is a fresh bunch which has black or purplish black fruits and the outer layer fruitlets mesocarp is yellowish in color. This bunch does not have any fresh sockets of detached fruitlets at the times of inspection at the mill.

The sockets (if any) on the bunch is not due to normal ripening process. During grading such bunches must be segregated and loaded onto the lorry that is graded weighed and bunches left back at the designated area on the mill ramp.

d) Over ripe Bunch

Over ripe bunch is a fresh bunch which has darkish red color fruits and has more than fifty percent (50%) of detached fruitlets but with at least ten percent (10%) of fruits still attached to the bunch at the time of inspection at the mill. The bunch and the loose fruits are to be sent to the mills within 24 hour after harvesting.

e) Unfresh Bunch (Unclassifiable Bunches)

Unfresh bunch is a bunch which has been harvested and left at the field fro more than 48 hour before being sent to the mill. The whole fruit or part of it together with its stalk has dried out. Normally, this type of bunch is dry and blackish in color.

Note : Loads of bunches determined as Unclassifiable shall NOT be assessed for the Ripeness Standards. Percentage is respect of assessment of ripeness standards shall only based on classifiable crop.

f) Sand & debris

A very important factor which is completely overlooked by all concerned is the considerable of sand, woodies, grass and twigs termed as debris that is carted to the mill along with FFB.

Debris is unwanted weight and causes frequent chokages and interruption to milling process thereby incurring losses to the Company.

Palm circles must be kept clean and loose fruit collection performed with some innovation. Appropriate scrapers with spacings between scarping fingers should be utilized instead of half cut plastic bottles or cardboard which scrape and collect sand, stone and other matters. Also other FFB innovative methods must be adapted to completely remove debris prior to FFB transported to the mill.

Studies have shown that debris in FFB depresses extraction rates drastically and therefore important that only clean loose fruitlets are dispatched to the mill.

g) Grading procedure in respect to Unripe and high Debris content

With an immediate effect mills methodology of performing grading analysis shall be as stated above. However, mills must ensure that as and when unripe and empty bunches are detected during the grading exercise, these bunches are to be picked out and put back on the lorry to be weighed out. Upon weighing out these lorries must then be instructed to return the unripe bunch back to the designated area on the mill ramp.

Also on occasions when debris content is found excessively high, these should be segregated and the respective estates informed to witness such incidences so that immediate appropriate corrective measures can be implemented at the Estate level. Mill and Estates must work as a team to achieve good quality FFB.

2. Unsatisfactory Bunches

a) Empty Bunch

Empty bunch is a bunch which has more than ninety percent (90%) of detached fruitlets at the time of inspection at the mill.

b) Rotten Bunch

Rotten bunch is a bunch partly or wholly and together with its loose fruits has turn blackish in color, rotten and mouldy. Rotten bunches should be discarded after shaking out all remaining fruitlet in the field.

c) Poor Fruit Set

A bunch with more parthenocarpic fruitlets than fertilized developed fruitlet as seen on the bunch surface. Developed fruitlets shall in allcases be more than 50%.

d) Diseased Bunch

Diseased bunch is a bunch which has more than fifty percent (50%) parthenocarpic fruit and is not normal in terms of its size or its density.

e) Preset Damaged Bunch

Pest damaged bunch is a bunch with more than thirty percent (30%) of its fruits damaged by pest attack such as rats, etc.

f) Dirty Bunch

Dirty bunch is a bunch with more than half of its surface covered with mud, sand, other dirt particles and mixed with stone or other foreign matters.

g) Bruised Bunch

A bunch with more than 25% of the surface fruits bruised. A fruitlet is deemed to be bruised when damage to be mesecarp at any point is severe i.e the mesocarp is squashed.

Bruised bunch assessment is primarily intended to indicate degree of careless handling rather than actual number of damaged fruilets on the bunch.

h) Long Stalk Bunch

Long stalk bunch is a fresh bunch which has a stalk of more than 5 cm in length (measured from the lowest level of the bunch stalk).

i) Small Bunch

Small bunch is a bunch which measure less than 15cm across the widest section and has small fruits and weigh less than 2.3 kg (5lb).

Small bunches are not acceptable for processing and the fruitlets should be shaken out and the empty bunches discarded in the field.

j) Dura Bunch

Dura bunch has fruits with the following characteristics :-

Shell thickness (2-8 mm)
Ratio of shell to fruit (25-50%)
Ratio of mesocarp to fruit (20-60%)
Ratio of kernel to fruit (4-20%)
No fibre ring around the shell

k) Wet Bunch

We bunch refers to a consignment of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) which has excessive free water.