PTAB (Processing Tomato Advisory Board)
QUALITY STANDARDS

The State grading standards program is designed to provide objective and impartial fruit inspection prior to processing. Maximum tolerance levels are optional and may be waived by your processor. Processors may impose lower maximum tolerances than the State levels listed below.

Definitions of Defects and Tolerances
From the Processing Tomato Inspection Manual published June 1997

Worm/Insect: Any load of tomatoes which is offered for delivery to a processor shall be rejected and turned back to the producer if in excess of two percent, by weight, is affected by worm or insect damage. A tomato is scoreable when a worm or insect has penetrated the flesh. Open holes, which have no worm, insect or excreta present, shall not be considered as worm/insect damage.
Maximum Tolerance: 2.0% of Load

Mold: Black, brown, watermold and blight are scoreable when the mold penetrates through the wall of the tomato into the seed pocket or when spots of mold that penetrate into but not through the wall affect more than 10% of the weight of the tomato. If white mold clings to a split in a tomato's skin, score it without cutting. (Pick white mold out before washing sample.) Blossom end rot is not mold, but active mold extending from the rot into the seed pocket is scoreable. Maximum Tolerance: 8.0% of Load

Green: A tomato is scoreable for green when the external surface of the red tomato is green, white, or yellow, with no pink, orange, or red. Do not cut these tomatoes to check the internal color.
Maximum Tolerance: 4.0% of Load

M.O.T.: Material other than tomatoes includes dirt and extraneous material (detached stems, vines, rocks, or debris). Score dirt that can be picked up by hand, not sweepings from the table. Check dirt or extraneous, and if there is a significant amount of both, check both boxes. Attached stems are not scoreable, but stems 3" or more are vines and shall be pulled and scored.
Maximum Tolerance: 3.0% of Load

View next article - Sources of information
Go to Table of Contents