ISO 762-2003 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 762:2003 — Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of mineral impurities content. This International Standard specifies a laboratory method for measuring mineral (soil-derived) impurities present in fruit and vegetable products to assess cleanliness and quality.

Abstract

ISO 762:2003 defines a procedure to determine the content of mineral impurities (typically originating from soil) in fruit and vegetable products. The method concentrates and isolates inorganic contaminants from the product sample, treats the isolated material by incineration, and determines the mass of residue to report impurity content. The 2003 edition replaced the 1982 edition and remains the confirmed version of the standard.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed as current after systematic review).
• Publication date: 2003-11 (Edition 2, 2003).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 67.080.01 (Fruit and vegetable products).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2003).
• Number of pages: 5 (concise method standard).

Scope

This standard applies to fruit and vegetable products and specifies a laboratory technique for determination of mineral impurities content — those inorganic particles commonly introduced from soil during harvesting, handling or processing. It is intended for use where a quantitative measure of insoluble mineral contamination is required for quality control, regulatory compliance or specification purposes.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of mineral (soil-derived) impurities relevant to fruit and vegetable products.
• Sampling and sample preparation recommendations to obtain a representative test portion.
• Separation techniques to remove organic matter (e.g., flotation) and to concentrate heavy inorganic particles (e.g., sedimentation) prior to analysis.
• Incineration of the collected sediment at elevated temperature (approximately 600 °C) to ash the organic fraction and isolate mineral residue.
• Weighing of the residue and calculation of impurity content expressed relative to the original sample mass.
• Reporting requirements and limits of applicability (types of fruits/vegetables and processed products covered).

Typical use and users

ISO 762:2003 is used by food testing laboratories, quality assurance and control teams in the fresh produce and processed fruit/vegetable industry, standards bodies, regulatory agencies and research institutions. Typical uses include routine quality checks, incoming raw-material inspection, product specification verification and comparative studies of cleaning/processing effectiveness.

Related standards

ISO 762:2003 is part of the set of ISO methods for fruit and vegetable products (ISO/TC 34/SC 3). Related standards include other test methods for ash and insoluble ash content such as ISO 763:2003 (Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid) and additional ISO methods covering compositional and contaminant analyses for fruit and vegetable products.

Keywords

mineral impurities; soil contamination; fruit and vegetable products; sample preparation; flotation; sedimentation; incineration; ash residue; ISO 762; quality control.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 762:2003 is an International Standard that specifies a laboratory method for determining the content of mineral (soil-derived) impurities in fruit and vegetable products.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers sampling considerations, separation of organic and inorganic fractions, concentration of inorganic (heavy) particles, incineration of the collected sediment (to remove organic matter) and weighing of the remaining mineral residue to calculate impurity content. The method is applicable to a range of fruit and vegetable products where mineral impurities from soil are a concern.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Food testing laboratories, QA/QC personnel in produce and processing companies, regulators, and researchers use this standard to quantify and report mineral contamination levels in fruit and vegetable products.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2003 edition (Edition 2) replaced the 1982 edition. ISO has confirmed the 2003 edition during periodic reviews (most recently confirmed in the systematic review cycle), so it remains the current published version of ISO 762.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is part of ISO/TC 34/SC 3’s body of standards for fruit and vegetable products and is related to adjacent test methods (for example ISO 763 for ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid) used together when assessing inorganic contamination and ash content.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Mineral impurities, soil contaminants, ash residue, fruit and vegetables, flotation, sedimentation, incineration, laboratory method, ISO 762.