Quality & Food Safety Protocols
Agricultural alliums harvested from fertile soil require rigorous physical, optical, and laboratory interventions to meet multinational food manufacturing standards.
Controlled Convective Tunnel Dehydration
Preserving volatile sulfur compounds (allicin) while achieving moisture stability below 6.0%.
Multi-Stage Cleaning & Peeling
Freshly harvested white onion bulbs arrive from Maharashtra farms and undergo dry vibratory de-stoning to remove soil clods. Bulbs are mechanically root-trimmed, outer-skin peeled, and transferred through pressurized turbulent washing flumes to eliminate surface microflora.
- High-pressure potable water sanitizing flumes
- Mechanical root trimming removing soil-borne spore vectors
- Stainless steel (SS 304/316) contact surfaces throughout
Multi-Zone Continuous Tunnel Drying
Sliced onions are fed onto stainless steel multi-tier continuous conveyor dryers. Temperature profiles are graduated across 4 distinct drying zones (from 75°C initial rapid evaporation down to 55°C gentle curing), safeguarding the allicin enzyme system from heat scorching.
- Indirectly heated filtered air preventing combustion by-product exposure
- Water activity (aw) reduced below 0.45 to arrest enzymatic activity
- Automated continuous moisture sensors ensuring batch consistency
Optical Sortex, Magnetic Separation & Metal Detection
A multi-barrier defense ensuring zero foreign matter in commercial export containers.
Optical Color Sorting (Sortex)
Dual-pass bichromatic optical sorters inspect every particle in free-fall. High-speed pneumatic ejectors blast away discolored pieces, skin remnants, and scorched flakes.
Neodymium Magnets (12,000 Gauss)
Rare-earth magnetic grates installed at conveyor transitions capture sub-millimeter ferrous particulate generated by mechanical slicing and milling operations.
In-Line Metal Detection (CCP)
Final sealed export bags and cartons pass through throat metal detectors calibrated to detect 1.0mm Fe, 1.2mm Non-Fe, and 1.5mm Stainless Steel (SS 316) test wands.
10-Stage Traceability Architecture
From seed selection in Maharashtra allium belts to container seal affixing at JNPT Seaport.
Raw Material
Harvested from contract allium acreage
Receiving & Brix
TSS inspection (15-18° Brix) & pesticide pre-screen
Batch Coding
Assigned unique internal ERP lot tracking number
Processing
Mechanized peeling, washing & tunnel drying
Sorting
Sortex optical & magnetic screening
Lab Testing
Batch HPLC, Karl Fischer, and micro plating
Aseptic Packing
Heat-sealed poly liners inside Kraft export bags
Final Inspection
Metal detection CCP & QC lot sign-off
Container Stuffing
Palletized loading with desiccants & photos
Ocean Export
Customs & Phytosanitary release at JNPT
ISO 17025 Third-Party Accredited Testing
Comprehensive laboratory screening backing every Certificate of Analysis.
| Analytical Domain | Specific Tests Performed | Governing Standard / Test Method |
|---|---|---|
| Microbiology & Pathogens | Total Plate Count, Yeast & Mold, Coliforms, E. coli, Salmonella spp., Staph. aureus | FDA BAM Chapters 3, 4, 5, 12, 18 / ISO 4833, ISO 6579 |
| Pesticide Residue Screen | Multi-residue screen covering 350+ compounds (Organophosphates, Organochlorines, Carbamates) | GC-MS/MS & LC-MS/MS / EU Regulation (EC) 396/2005 |
| Heavy Metals | Lead (Pb < 0.2 ppm), Cadmium (Cd < 0.1 ppm), Arsenic (As < 0.1 ppm), Mercury (Hg) | ICP-MS / EU Regulation 2023/915 |
| Physical & Chemical | Moisture (Karl Fischer), Total Ash, Acid-Insoluble Ash, Sieve Mesh Distribution, Water Activity (aw) | ASTA Methods 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 / AOAC 934.06 |
| Pungency / Bioactive | Pyruvic Acid concentration (> 45 µmol/g dry wt) and Alliinase activity | Enzymatic Spectrophotometric Method / HPLC |
Audit Readiness for Multinational Importers
We facilitate on-site third-party supplier audits, remote video facility walkthroughs, and independent pre-shipment inspections (SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek) prior to container seal application.