Overview
ISO 7911:1991 - Unshelled pine nuts - Specification defines quality, sizing, testing, packing and labelling requirements for unshelled pine nuts (Pinus pinea) intended for human consumption. It applies to nuts dried in the sun or in ovens and explicitly excludes roasted, salted or otherwise processed pine nuts and nuts obtained by burning cones. Annexes A, B and C are normative and specify test procedures for defects, sizing and moisture determination.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and product definition: Unshelled pine nuts from stone pine (Pinus pinea); new crop and old crop are distinguished and should not be mixed.
- Quality criteria: Nuts must be sound, clean and intact; kernels characteristic in shape, colour and taste; free from living pests and practically free of dead insects and rodent contamination.
- Defects and extraneous matter: The standard sets maximum permitted proportions (by number or mass) of nuts with external defects, internal defects and extraneous matter for graded lots (grades such as Extra, I and II).
- Moisture content: Kernels must not exceed 10% (m/m) moisture. Annex C gives the oven-drying method at 103 °C ±2 °C for 6 hours (with procedural details and calculation).
- Sizing (grading by diameter): Size categories based on equatorial diameter measured with circular-opening screens:
- Small (S): < 7.5 mm
- Medium (M): 7.5–9.5 mm
- Large (L): > 9.5 mm
Annex B describes hand sieving using ISO-compliant test sieves.
- Test methods:
- Annex A - visual inspection and separation for extraneous matter, external and internal defects.
- Annex B - sieving and sizing procedure.
- Annex C - moisture determination (oven method); ISO 6756 entrainment method is allowed as alternative.
- Packing and marking: Clean, inert containers (wood, cardboard, jute). Gross mass of containers not over 100 kg. Jute sack tare allowances specified (e.g., 2.5% for sacks ≥50 kg). Required markings include product name, producer/packer, grade/size, batch/code, net/gross mass, producing country and reference to ISO 7911.
Applications - who uses this standard
- Producers and processors of unshelled pine nuts (quality control and grading)
- Packers and exporters/importers (packing, labelling and lot specification)
- Food testing laboratories (sampling and test methods for defects, sizing and moisture)
- Buyers, distributors and retailers (product acceptance criteria)
- Food safety and regulatory bodies (harmonized quality requirements)
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 7911, unshelled pine nuts, pine nut specification, moisture content, grading, sizing, packing and marking, test methods.