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Gherkin
industry in India is fairly new. It is only 10 years old. Gherkins
(Cucumos Sativus) are miniaturized cucumber used for pickling (sweet,
vinegar & acetic acid) by different end-users. These pickles
are normally consumed as snack for cocktails or TV meals. The main
institutional market for Gherkins is fast-food restaurants world-wide.
The major markets for Gherkins are USA, Europe, Korea, Japan and
Australia.
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| Gherkin
Field |
Grading
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Consumer
Packing |
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Bulk
Packing |
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| Grades: |
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Gherkins
are sold on the basis of counts (number of fruits per kg). The lower
the count, the lower the price and vice versa. The popular counts
in commercial transactions vary as follows:
5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-60, 60-80, 80-100, 80-120, 120-160,
150-300, 160-300, and 300+. Some buyers may combine the above counts
and ask for assorted counts such as 80-120, 150-300 etc. Therefore,
the processing and trading / exporting of gherkins are wholly customer
- focussed.
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| 5/10
count to 300+ count |
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| Medium
of Packing: |
| Gherkins
are usually packed in 3 media. |
| 1.
Brine |
| 2.
Vinegar |
| 3.
Acetic Acid |
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Packing:
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The
products are packed in bulk and consumer packs. Bulk packing is
made in Food Grade HMHDPE barrels, 220/240 litre capacity or as
per customer specifications. Net drained weight will vary from 150
kgs to 180 kgs per drum for bulk packing. Capacity in a 20' container
will be 80 barrels.
Consumer packs are usually in glass jars of 500ml. 650ml or 750ml.
The recipe for consumer packs are given by the importer. More often
than not, the importers of Gherkins in consumer packs provide bottles,
vinegar and labels. Thus, it is customer - specific.
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| Product
Specifications |
Chemical
Properties |
| Organoleptic
Characteristics: |
Gherkins
in Brine |
| Color:
typical green/greenish yellow |
Salinity
as NaCl : 15%  1% |
| Aspect:
sound, full gherkins |
Acidity
as Lactic Acid: >0.6%, pH:<3.5 |
| Texture:
firm and very crispy to bite |
Gherkins
in Acetic Acid & Natural Vinegar |
| Taste:
Characteristic of pickled product without oxidation |
Acidity:
3.2%
0.2%, Salt:4%
0.2% |
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Calcium
Chloride: Customized. |
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| Process
Flow [bulk packing in Brine] |
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| Quality
Rejects: |
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The
Undesirable fruits would include bloaters, soft/dehydrated, shrivelled,
decayed, injured, discolored / bleached, fungal infested, putrefied,
sunburnt, curved, crooked, nubbins, borer damaged, cut and rotten,
fruits with stems / flowers, etc. The gherkins also shall not contain
foreign materials such as flowers, other vegetative materials (such
as stems, grass, leaves, etc.) and non-vegetable materials (such
as hair, bolts, nuts, nails, etc.,) Brine Solution status such as
fermentation, salt content and brine solution quality shall be as
per the standard required and acceptable to the customer. The packed
gherkins shall not have undesirable levels of insecticide and pesticide
residues.
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