FRESH FRUITS LEMON

Specifications for fresh lemons include being mature, firm, fairly well-formed, and smooth with bright yellow, shiny skin, free from decay, significant bruising, shriveled spots, and other damage. Lemons should be clean, practically free of foreign matter, and have a characteristic citrus aroma. For commercial purposes, grades are often assigned based on these characteristics, with standards like U.S. No. 1 or Class I lemons requiring a certain level of quality. 

GENERAL APPEARANCE CRITERIA

COLOUR Greenish yellow to bright yellow

VISUAL

APPEARANCE With bright bloom; waxed surface; missing buttons allowable provided healed dry attachment areas, rind < 8mm

thick; no foreign matter. Pre-packs labelled with bar code. Loose Fruit stickered by PLU (or bar code when

available) and variety name per requirements.

SENSORY With firm, smooth skin, no foreign odours/tastes.

SHAPE Oval fruit with slightly elongated ends. Nil rounded fruit.

SIZE As per pre-ordered size requirements, minimum net carton weight 18 kg.

MATURITY Juice content > 20%; not dark yellow (over mature) or with dark green markings (undermature)

MAJOR DEFECTS

INSECTS

With fungal or bacterial rots of the skin or flesh (eg. Penicillium moulds, brown rot, soft rots).

With dark lesions on the fruit skin (eg. Black spot, Septoria spot).

DISEASES

With raised, corky areas on the fruit skin (lemon scab).

PHYSICAL / PEST

DAMAGE

With dark brown depressed lesions (chilling injury) or watersoaked flesh (freezing damage).TEMPERATURE

INJURY With pale, hard areas of skin (severe sunburn)

MINOR DEFECTS

DISEASES With superficial black/grey marks (eg.sooty blotch, sooty mould, Melanose) affecting in aggregate >1s