| Currants | [German version] |
Table of contents |
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| General: | ||
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Product information | |
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Packaging | |
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Transport | |
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Container transport | |
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Cargo securing | |
Product information
Product name
| German | Korinthen |
| English | Currants |
| French | Raisins de Corinthe |
| Spanish | Pasas de Corinto |
| Scientific | Vitis vinifera |
| CN/HS number * | 0806 20 11 |
(* EU Combined Nomenclature/Harmonized System)
Product description
Currants belong to the grapevine family (Vitaceae) and are native to the Caspian Sea. They are dried grapes from the seedless Black Corinth vine.
Currants, sultanas and raisins, including those still on the bunch, are known collectively as „raisins“. The difference between these three dried fruits is explained below:
Currants: seedless, small-berried, purple/black color. Their name derives from the Greek city of Corinth.
Sultanas: seedless, large-berried and light yellow. Larger than currants and smaller than raisins.
Raisins on the bunch: seeded, large-berried, generally with stalk.
To produce: the grape-harvest takes place when the grapes are overripe. They are then either air-dried or increasingly dried in special drying plants. Currants are always sold without stalks and unsulfured. Currants are treated with vegetable oils to prevent them from sticking together and this treatment makes them look fresh.
Currants have a sourish sweet flavor.
Quality / Duration of storage
Currants should not exhibit any signs of reduced quality, such as mold, rot, discoloration, maggot or mite infestation, clumps of fruit. Contamination by dirt etc. must also remain within reasonable limits.
The best currants are the highly aromatic Vostizza currants from the region around Gulf of Corinth which are air-dried in the shade.
Various sources state maximum duration of storage as follows:
| Temperature | Rel. humidity | Max. duration of storage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 – 20°C | 60 – 70% | 12 months | [1] |
| 7°C | 50 – 60% | 12 months | [5] |
Intended use
Currants are mainly used for baking.
Figure
(Click on the Figure to enlarge it.)
 Figure 1 |
Countries of origin
This Table shows only a selection of the most important countries of origin and should not be thought of as exhaustive.
| Europe | Greece (especially the Peloponnese) |
| Africa | South Africa |
| Asia | |
| America | USA (California) |
| Australia | Australia |
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Packaging
Currants are packaged in paperboard cartons, wooden boxes or bags.
When packaged in corrugated or millboard cartons, the product should be transported on pallets. The packaging size should be so selected that the dimensions of the individual area modules or area module multiples are conformed to the conventional pallet sizes (800×1200 mm and 1000×1200 mm) and cargo units may thus be produced.
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Transport
Symbols
 General cargo |
 Temperature-controlled |
Means of transport
Ship, truck, railroad
Container transport
Standard containers / refrigerated containers are used, subject to compliance with lower limits for water content of goods, packaging and container flooring.
Cargo handling
Since the packages are sensitive to impact, appropriate care must be taken during cargo handling.
In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be protected from moisture, since this may lead to mold, rot, fermentation and tackiness.
Stowage factor
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1.70 m³/t (cartons) [1] |
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1.25 – 1.50 m3/t (boxes, bags) [11] |
Stowage space requirements
Cool, dry, good ventilation
Segregation
Marker pen, oil crayon, oiled paper, packing paper
Cargo securing
In order to ensure safe transport, the cargo must be stowed and secured in the means of transport in such a manner that it cannot slip or shift during transport. If loss of volume and degradation of quality are to be avoided, the packages must not be damaged by other articles or items of cargo.
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Risk factors and loss prevention
RF Temperature
Currants require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions (SC VI) (storage climate conditions).
The favorable travel temperature range is 4 – 20°C [1].
Chemical reactions proceed very rapidly at temperatures > 25°C. Heat and pressure cause candying and agglomeration, syrup formation and fermentation in currants.
Heat generally causes the risk of discoloration and hardening and the product should thus be stowed away from heat sources.
At temperatures < 10°C, mite growth is inhibited.
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RF Humidity/Moisture
Currants require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions (SC VI) (storage climate conditions).
| Designation | Humidity/water content | Source |
| Relative humidity | 50 – 55% | [1] |
| 50 – 60% | [5] | |
| Water content | 14 – 16% | [1] |
| 14 – 18% | [5] | |
| Maximum equilibrium moisture content | 60% | [1] |
Currants are strongly hygroscopic (hygroscopicity).
At relative humidities > 65%, currants become tacky, tend to ferment and become moldy.
At relative humidities < 50%, currants become tough and hard.
The product must be protected from all forms of moisture (seawater, rain and condensation water) to prevent mold growth, rotting, fermentation and tackiness.
In order to prevent wetting of the product by sweat from hold or container surfaces, it should be protected with dunnage . If a fermentation process is initiated, it may eventually affect the entire cargo.
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RF Ventilation
Currants require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions (SC VI) (storage climate conditions).
If the product is at „shipping dryness“, i.e. if there is no risk of degradation by mold etc. due to water content, ventilation is not required. If this is not the case, the following ventilation measures should be implemented:
Recommended ventilation conditions: air exchange rate: 6 changes/hour (airing)
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RF Biotic activity
Currants display 3rd order biotic activity.
They belong to the class of goods in which respiration processes are suspended, but in which biochemical, microbial and other decomposition processes still proceed.
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RF Gases
No risk.
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RF Self-heating / Spontaneous combustion
No risk.
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RF Odor
| Active behavior | Currants have a slight, pleasant odor. |
| Passive behavior | Currants are highly odor-sensitive. |
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RF Contamination
| Active behavior | Excessive temperatures may result in the formation of syrup, which may contaminate other goods. |
| Passive behavior | Currants are extremely sensitive to contamination. |
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RF Mechanical influences
The packages must be secured appropriately in the hold or container so that they cannot move during transport. In the case of container transport, it is also important for the goods to be secured in the door area so that they cannot fall out of the container when the doors are opened.
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RF Toxicity / Hazards to health
Mite infestation may cause gastrointestinal conditions if the product is eaten. Inhalation of mite dust may cause asthma attacks and frequent contact with mites may result in skin conditions.
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RF Shrinkage/Shortage
The normal weight loss due to a reduction in the moisture content of the product is approx. 1%.
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RF Insect infestation / Diseases
Currants are very frequently infested by pests.
Under appropriate temperature and humidity conditions, there is a risk of infestation by maggots, mites, moths (dried fruit moth, meal moth, tobacco moth) and beetles (sap beetles, sawtoothed grain beetles and flour beetles). Mite infestation may be determined by examination with a magnifying glass: mites may be distinguished from crystallized glucose because they are whitish, slow moving dots. Development from the egg to imago (fully formed insect) takes approx. 10 days.
A fumigation certificate must be provided.
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