Frozen Wild Strawberries

This large cultivated-fruit reference is shown as a comparison, not as evidence of Fragaria vesca. The species line on the contract controls the product identity.

Identity File Included in the Commercial Approval

For a wild-strawberry order, the approval pack identifies the commercial name and Latin name on the specification, supplier declaration, packing mark and COA. It also states the country and collection region, harvest dates or crop window, whether the fruit is wild-collected or cultivated F. vesca, and the lot code that links raw material to the packed batch.

Photographs, berry diameter and aroma are useful screening evidence but are not the sole identity method. Where the buyer's label, customs classification or claim policy requires stronger substantiation, we add a laboratory botanical-authenticity or DNA method agreed before production. The test laboratory, target markers, sampling plan and acceptance wording are fixed in the purchase specification.

If a source cannot provide a coherent identity chain, we quote it as cultivated strawberry or decline the wild claim. This protects the buyer from relabelling, claim withdrawal and inconsistent sensory results after launch.

Size Distribution, Not an Oversized Berry Promise

True F. vesca fruit is normally smaller and more naturally variable than commercial F. × ananassa. We therefore report the declared band plus the actual distribution by count: ≤10 mm, 10–15 mm, 15–20 mm, 20–25 mm and above 25 mm. For an uncalibrated lot, the COA still records the measured distribution so the next shipment can be compared with the approved sample.

Grade A sized product contains at least 90% of berries within the contracted band; Premium contains at least 95%. A buyer can also contract an average count per 100 g when dosing or visible-piece density matters. The count is measured from five 100 g portions after separation in the frozen state.

Codex permits a 10% by-number tolerance for sized whole frozen strawberries. Our Premium target is tighter, but "Premium" remains our commercial grade and is never represented as a Codex or USDA official grade.

Diameter records turn "small berries" into a repeatable size distribution that can be checked at receiving.

Frozen manual inspection removes visible defects after IQF and before final packing.

Raw Material and IQF Process Control

Each intake lot receives an identity and origin check, harvest-date review, sensory inspection, maturity and Brix measurement, visible contamination check and acceptance record. Wild-collected programs add collection-zone mapping, collector or collection-point coding and separation from other berry species. Fruit that is mouldy, fermenting, heavily bruised or contaminated is rejected rather than corrected by freezing.

The process sequence is intake, chilled holding where required, washing with controlled potable water, calyx and stem removal, inspection, draining, individual quick freezing, frozen grading, defect removal, metal detection, weighing, packing, coding and storage. Processing time and temperature are controlled to reduce softening before freezing.

IQF freezing is a preservation step, not a kill step. Our standard program is intended for further processing such as cooking, pasteurisation or another validated control. Any thaw-and-use or retail program requires a separately contracted microbiological and viral risk plan, validated label instructions and destination-market review.

Batch COA: Values, Methods and Lot Link

A batch COA is issued against the packed lot, not as a generic template. It records product name, species declaration, origin, production date, lot number, best-before date, pack format, sensory status, size distribution, Brix, pH, acidity where contracted, defect results, microbiological results, chemical results included in the order and release decision.

The report contains actual numerical results. A microbiological line does not merely say "qualified"; it states, for example, aerobic plate count in CFU/g and Salmonella as detected or not detected in the defined test portion. Chemical reports include the method and LOQ so "not detected" can be interpreted correctly.

The traceability pack can also include the signed product specification, raw-material receipt record, production record, metal-detector verification, packing record, temperature record, pallet list, pre-shipment inspection and third-party report when ordered.

The lot code connects raw material, QC records, COA, packing and shipment evidence.

Wild strawberry is normally quoted whole or as processing material; cut forms depend on berry size and trial result.

Application Matching by Form and Sensory Target

Premium visible fruit: whole berries with Premium defect limits, ≥12°Bx starting target and a buyer-approved aroma sample suit premium preserves, fruit layers, plated desserts and high-fruit-content preparations where identity and berry count are visible.

Jam, filling and fruit preparation: uncalibrated whole fruit, broken fruit or processing pieces can reduce raw-material cost while retaining the contracted species. We align Brix, acidity, colour, seed load and cooking loss with the formula trial.

Dairy, beverage and puree processing: the buyer should define screen size, seed expectation, heat step, final pH and dosage. A puree is quoted under its own specification for mesh, Brix, pH, viscosity, foreign matter and packaging; it is not described as IQF whole fruit.

Freeze-drying input: whole integrity, size distribution, initial moisture, loading density and colour after drying are approved through a production trial. We do not promise dried yield from Brix alone.

Packing, Pallet and Cold-Chain Release

We approve carton dimensions and net weight before calculating container quantity. For palletised cargo, the pallet type, cartons per layer, layers per pallet, total pallet height, stretch wrap, corner protection and pallet labels are listed in the packing plan.

The reefer is clean, dry, odour-free and pre-cooled. Product temperature is checked during loading, and the set point is normally −18°C. A temperature recorder can be placed in the cargo when contracted. The bill of lading, packing list and invoice use the same product description, lot reference and gross/net weight.

At receipt, the buyer records seal status, recorder result, air and product temperature, carton condition, lot codes and a representative frozen sample before moving the goods into storage. Thawed and refrozen product is segregated for investigation.

Pallet pattern, carton count, labels and stretch wrap are fixed in the approved loading plan.