Commission Regulation (EC) No 670/2009 (repealed)Show full title

1. DEFINITION OF CHARACTERISTICS TO BE EXAMINED IN ORDER TO QUALIFY A BASIC CEREAL AS BEING OF UNIMPAIRED QUALITY

1.1. Broken grains

All grains whose endosperm is partially uncovered shall be regarded as broken grains. Grains damaged by threshing and grains from which the germ has been removed also belong to this group.

1.2. Grain impurities

(a)

Shrivelled grains:

Grains which, after elimination from the sample of all other matter referred to in this Annex, pass through sieves with apertures of the following dimensions, shall be considered as shrivelled grains: durum wheat: 1,9 mm.

‘shrivelled grains’ means grains which, after elimination of all other matter referred to in this Annex, pass through sieves with apertures of 2,0 mm.

In addition, grains damaged by frost and unripe grains (green) belong to this group;

(b)

Other cereals:

All grains which do not belong to the species of grain sampled;

(c)

Grains damaged by pests:

Grains which have been nibbled. Bug-ridden grains also belong to this group;

(d)

Grains in which the germ is discoloured, mottled grains, grains affected with fusariosis:

Grains in which the germ is discoloured are those of which the tegument is coloured brown to brownish black and of which the germ is normal and not sprouting.

For durum wheat:

• grains which show a brown to brownish black discoloration elsewhere than on the germ itself shall be considered as mottled grains,

• grains affected with fusariosis are grains whose pericarp is contaminated with Fusarium mycelium; such grains look slightly shrivelled, wrinkled and have pink or white diffuse patches with an ill-defined outline;

(e)

Grains overheated during drying are those which show external signs of scorching but which are not damaged grains.

1.3. Sprouted grains

Sprouted grains are those in which the radicle or plumule is clearly visible to the naked eye. However, account must be taken of the general appearance of the sample when its content of sprouted grains is assessed. In some kinds of cereals the germ is protuberant, e.g. in durum wheat, and the germ tegument splits when the batch of cereals is shaken. These grains resemble sprouted grains but must not be included in that group. Sprouted grains are only those where the germ has undergone clearly visible changes which make it easy to distinguish the sprouted grain from the normal grain.

1.4. Miscellaneous impurities (Schwarzbesatz)

Grains of basic cereals and other cereals which are damaged, affected by ergot or decayed are to be classified as ‘miscellaneous impurities’ even if they have defects which belong to other categories.

(a)

Extraneous seeds:

Extraneous seeds are seeds of plants, whether or not cultivated, other than cereals. They include seeds not worth recovering, seeds which can be used for livestock and noxious seeds.

‘Noxious seeds’ means seeds which are toxic to humans and animals, seeds hampering or complicating the cleaning and milling of cereals and seeds affecting the quality of products processed from cereals;

(b)

Damaged grains:

Damaged grains are those rendered unfit for human consumption and, as regards feed grain, for consumption by cattle, owing to putrefaction, mildew, or bacterial or other causes.

Damaged grains also include grains damaged by spontaneous heat generation or too extreme heating during drying. These ‘heated’ or ‘smutty’ grains are fully grown grains in which the tegument is coloured greyish brown to black, while the cross-section of the kernel is coloured yellowish grey to brownish black.

Grains attacked by wheat-midge shall be considered damaged grains only when more than half the surface of the grain is coloured grey to black as a result of secondary cryptogamic attack. Where discoloration covers less then half the surface of the grain, they must be classed with grains damaged by pests;

(c)

Extraneous matter:

All matter in a sample of cereals retained by a sieve with apertures of 3,5 mm (with the exception of grains of other cereals and particularly large grains of the basic cereal) and that passing through a sieve with apertures of 1,0 mm shall be considered extraneous matter. Also included are stones, sand, fragments of straw and other impurities in the samples which pass through a sieve with apertures of 3,5 mm and are retained by a sieve with apertures of 1,0 mm;

(d)

husks;

(e)

ergot;

(f)

decayed grains;

(g)

dead insects and fragments of insects.

1.5. Live pests

1.6. Piebald grains

Piebald grains of durum wheat are grains whose kernel cannot be regarded as entirely vitreous.

1.7. Colour of cereal

The colour of the cereal is specific to this cereal, free from odour and live pests (including mites) at all stages of its development.

1.8. Contaminants

The maximum permissible levels of contaminants, including radioactivity, applicable under Community rules shall not exceed the levels established under Regulation (EEC) No 315/93, including the requirements set out in the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006(1).

(1)

OJ L 364, 20.12.2006, p. 5.