Iqf Wild Blueberries

IQF Wild Blueberry Product Overview

IQF wild blueberries are collected from naturally occurring or managed wild stands, linked to a collection lot, cleaned, destemmed, washed, sorted, individually quick frozen, inspected and stored at -18 degrees C or below. The ingredient is 100% wild blueberries. Added sugar, preservatives, artificial color, artificial flavor, sulphites and added ice glaze are 0%.

Wild blueberry is not one universal species. Vaccinium myrtillus generally provides dark skin, dark flesh and intense juice color. Vaccinium uliginosum can show different flesh color, flavor and berry structure. The specification names one scientific species and one collection origin, preventing bilberry, bog blueberry and cultivated highbush blueberry from being sold under the same identity.

IQF freezing creates free-flowing handling and long frozen storage; it is not sterilization. Standard product is supplied for food manufacturing or cooking. Direct-consumption programs use the enhanced microbiological and virus specification shown below.

Actual product appearance showing whole berries, natural color variation, intact skins and surface bloom.

Harvest and Twelve-Month Supply

The collection window runs from June through September. Early collection begins in selected origins during June, the main harvest starts in July, August is the peak collection period, and September completes late collection and final processing. From October through the following June, we supply from controlled frozen inventory.

Annual programs reserve species, size, grade, packing and testing capacity during the July-August main season. Collection records state daily quantity and region so crop-year variation in Brix, acidity, color and berry size remains visible in the traceability file.

Available Wild Blueberry Size Grades

We supply 6-9 mm Small, 8-12 mm Standard, 8-13 mm Expanded Standard, 10-13 mm Medium Wild and uncalibrated 6-13 mm natural lots. Special species lots can cover 7-14 mm. Diameter is measured at the berry equator with a calibrated screen or digital caliper.

Calibrated Grade A reaches at least 90% conformity by count with undersize and oversize each at no more than 5%. Premium reaches at least 95% conformity with undersize and oversize each at no more than 3%. Uncalibrated product does not carry a conformity percentage; its actual size-distribution report accompanies the sample.

As a supporting measure, 6-9 mm product contains approximately 2,000-4,000 berries/kg and 8-12 mm approximately 1,200-3,000 berries/kg. Contract acceptance uses diameter because berry count changes with species, shape, seed content, maturity and moisture.

Defect, Cluster, Stem and Leaf Control

We define undercolored, green, undeveloped, crushed, mushy, broken, dehydrated and insect-damaged berries separately. Mouldy, decayed and fermented berries are absent. Visible insects, larvae, glass, metal, stone, hard plastic, wood, paper, soil and sand are absent.

Premium contains no whole leaves or large stems in 1 kg and limits leaf fragments to 0.2%. Grade A allows two whole leaves or large stems per 500 g and 0.5% leaf fragments. Grade B allows four units per 500 g and 1.0% leaf fragments. Foreign edible berries are zero in a 1 kg Premium sample.

A cluster means three or more joined cap stems, with or without berries. This category-specific count prevents a general "clean product" statement from hiding wild-harvest stem and leaf load.

Residues, Heavy Metals and Organic Programs

Wild origin does not mean pesticide-free or organic. We supply 200-plus, 300-plus and 500-plus screens by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS. EU shipments use current Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 limits; US shipments use EPA tolerances; Japan uses the Positive List; Canada uses applicable Canadian MRLs.

Our shipment targets are lead 0.10 mg/kg, cadmium 0.05 mg/kg, total arsenic 0.30 mg/kg and mercury 0.02 mg/kg maximum, tested by ICP-MS. Wild-collection programs can add Cs-134 and Cs-137 results; the combined internal value is 600 Bq/kg for programs using that criterion.

Certified organic supply uses a certified collection area, map, buffer zones, certified operator and processing facility, segregated receiving and processing, mass balance and transaction documents. Programs include EU Organic, USDA Organic, JAS Organic and China Organic within the certificate scope.

Processing, Optical Sorting and Metal Detection

Our process runs from approved collection area, collector lot, receiving, weighing, pre-cooling, cleaning, destemming, potable-water washing, optical sorting, manual inspection, surface-water removal, IQF freezing, calibration, frozen sorting, metal detection, packing, cold storage, COA release and reefer loading.

The IQF tunnel operates at -30 to -40 degrees C and berries exit at a core temperature of -18 degrees C or below. Optical sorting removes undercolored, green, red-purple, mouldy, decayed, deformed and foreign berries as well as leaves and stems. Manual inspection targets clusters, cap stems, leaf fragments, insects, wood, stones and plastic.

Metal-detection sensitivity is ferrous 1.5 mm, non-ferrous 2.0 mm and stainless steel 2.5 mm. Challenge tests run at production start, every two hours, after product change, adjustment or stoppage, and at production end.

Application Specification Matrix

Yogurt and dairy: V. myrtillus, 6-9 or 8-12 mm Premium, Brix 10 minimum, broken 3%, clusters 6/500 g, cap stems 50/kg and enhanced microbiology.

Bakery and muffins: 6-9 or 8-12 mm Grade A, whole berries 94%, broken 6%, clumps 2% and Brix 9 minimum.

Jam and spread: uncalibrated Grade B or Processing Grade, Brix 9-13, pH 2.8-3.6, acidity 0.70-1.80%, strong color, no mould or decay.

Beverage and puree: named species Grade B or Processing Grade with Brix, pH, acidity, juice color, anthocyanin and yield results.

Ice cream and smoothie: 6-9 or 8-12 mm Premium/Grade A for visible fruit; uncalibrated Grade A/B for blending and portion packs.

Anthocyanin-controlled ingredient: named species lot with 250 or 350 mg C3G equivalents/100 g and a batch laboratory report. Whole berries remain food ingredients, not pharmaceutical-grade materials.

MOQ, Loading, Lead Time and Cold Chain

Standard MOQ is 12 MT per specification, trial quantity 5 MT, mixed-container minimum 3-5 MT per SKU and private-label MOQ 10-12 MT per artwork. Organic programs start at 12-20 MT. A 20-foot reefer loads about 12 MT; a 40-foot reefer loads 22-24 MT.

Standard lead time is 15-21 days, urgent stock supply 7-10 days and printed retail packing 20-30 days. Samples are 1-2 kg and require 3-5 working days.

Cold storage runs at -18 to -22 degrees C, product loads at or below -18 degrees C and the reefer set point is -18 degrees C. Records include cold-store and product temperatures, empty-container inspection, setting photograph, loading photos, container, seal and batch list.

COA, Sampling and Batch Release

The COA identifies species, wild status, collection country and region, collection lot, harvest and receiving dates, finished lot, grade, size, packing and customer order. Its four columns show Parameter, Specification, Actual Result and Test Method. Actual Result contains the measured batch value.

Identity, sensory, size, defects, Brix, pH, acidity, anthocyanins, microbiology, contaminants, glaze, net weight, seal, label and core temperature appear as applicable. Species, wild-origin, pesticide, heavy-metal, virus and anthocyanin reports remain separate evidence files linked to the same batch.

A lot has one species, collection program, size, grade, production date, line, shift and packing. We sample five cartons with 500 g per carton for a 2.5 kg composite. Size uses at least 200 berries or the full 500 g sample per carton. Extended foreign-material review uses 10 kg. Packaging AQL is Critical 0, Major 1.5 and Minor 4.0.

Collection-to-Container Traceability

The traceability chain links collection region, zone code, collector, harvest date, daily lot, receiving date and weight, raw-material lot, species declaration, processing date, line, shift, calibration, packing time, finished lot, COA, cold-store location, carton label, container and seal.

A lot such as WB260805-R03-L2-A identifies Wild Blueberry, production date August 5, 2026, Collection Region 03, Line 2 and Shift A. Cartons show product, scientific name, wild-origin statement, size, grade, ingredient, origin, dates, lot, -18 degrees C storage, manufacturer, exporter, buyer item code and carton number.

Shipment Evidence and Compliance Support

Available systems and documents include BRCGS, HACCP, ISO 22000, KOSHER, HALAL, FDA Food Facility Registration, organic certificates and social-audit documents. We provide valid certificates with the production-site and product scope visible.

Shipment files include specification, COA, ingredient and allergen declarations, wild-origin declaration, residue and heavy-metal reports, microbiology and virus reports, invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, health documents, bill of lading draft and container-loading record.

Application Performance Tests

Yogurt fruit preparation: we thaw a representative sample, record drip loss, inspect whole-berry retention and mix it into a standard fruit-preparation base. Premium material retains at least 90% recognizable berry shape in the stated thaw test. The assessment records juice bleed, berry distribution, seed perception, color intensity and stem presence.

Bakery batter: 6-9 mm or 8-12 mm Grade A berries are folded into muffin batter at a recorded fruit ratio. The baked product is checked for distribution, crushing, color migration and visible berry identity. Whole-berry input remains at least 94%, while broken or mushy input remains at or below 6%.

Jam and puree: the test records usable yield, Brix, pH, acidity, juice color, seed load and puree consistency. Grade B and Processing Grade reduce raw-material cost without relaxing mould, decay, foreign-material or microbiological standards.

Ice cream: Premium or Grade A berries are checked after mixing and refreezing for distribution, hardness, skin toughness and color release. The 6-9 mm grade distributes evenly; 8-12 mm provides a more visible inclusion.

Inspection Definitions and Corrective Actions

An undercolored berry has not developed the expected blue-black color. A green berry has a definite green cast. An undeveloped berry is abnormally small, mummified, wrinkled or hard-skinned. A crushed berry has collapsed structure; a mushy berry loses normal shape; a broken berry has open skin, missing flesh or severe splitting.

Each 500 g carton sample is inspected separately before averages are calculated. Premium fails release when mould, decay, foreign material, a whole leaf or large stem is found in the defined sample. Grade A records both average cluster count and the maximum individual result. A lot outside the signed limit is isolated, re-sorted, re-sampled and released only after the new inspection passes.

Critical packaging defects include wrong species, wrong wild-origin statement, undeclared allergen, open inner bag, missing lot, foreign material and incorrect storage instruction. Major defects include wrong size or grade, underweight, poor seal, unreadable date and product-affecting carton damage. Minor defects cover cosmetic printing variation.

Direct-Consumption and Food-Manufacturing Programs

Further-processing grade enters cooking, pasteurization, baking or another complete manufacturing heat step. The enhanced direct-consumption program adds stricter indicator limits, STEC control, HAV and Norovirus testing, collector hygiene, potable-water control, sanitation records, environmental monitoring and collection-to-container traceability.

Retail smoothie packs and thaw-and-use products carry storage, thawing and handling instructions. Food-manufacturing packs state the expected further process. We do not label ordinary further-processing fruit as ready to eat, and we do not promote whole IQF berries as pharmaceutical-grade material.