Product Quality Standards for Vietnamese Dragon Fruit – Appearance Quality
This specification applies to white-flesh dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) and red-flesh dragon fruit (H. costaricensis / H. monacanthus) intended for export by sea or air. The commonly accepted grade is Export Grade / Class I, with Class Extra available upon request under stricter thresholds.
In terms of external appearance, the fruit must be intact, free from cracks, splits, or abnormal deformities.
The skin should be clean and dry, without soil, dust, or latex residue.
At harvest maturity, the peel color should range from pink-red to bright red, covering at least 65% of the surface depending on market requirements.
The bracts (commonly referred to as “ears”) must remain fresh, green or yellow-green, without widespread drying or falling off.
Minor broken bracts are acceptable if they do not affect storage quality.
Acceptable defects for Class I fruit include superficial scratches or light scuffing, and a maximum of two to three small, light-brown blemishes per fruit.
Not acceptable are cracked peel, water-soaked or decayed areas, oozing, mold, severe sunburn, insect infestation, deep borings, or any abnormal odor.
The stem must remain attached, clean and dry, without decay or exudation. No leaves are required. All fruit must be free from dirt, dust, and foreign matter, with surface cleaning agents used only within approved limits under agreed SOPs.
Sizing is classified into common weight ranges: 350–550 g, 550–700 g, and over 700 g. Within each carton, a tolerance of ±10% per declared size is allowed.
For 9 kg cartons, the number of fruits is standardized according to size (e.g., 18–20 fruits per carton for the 350–550 g range).
The acceptable tolerance per carton or lot is defined as follows: up to two off-grade fruits with only minor external defects; zero tolerance for serious defects such as cracks, decay, mold, or live insect infestation; a maximum of 10% out-of-size fruit; and zero tolerance for dirt, sand, or foreign matter.
Pre-cooling is recommended at 2–5°C for 12–24 hours prior to container loading. Storage conditions must be maintained at 2–5°C with relative humidity of 85–90%.
Under a continuous cold chain, the target shelf life is 45 days. Packing should be in ventilated cartons, optionally lined with paper or foam, without compression, and secured firmly in stacks. Labels must include product name, country of origin, size, fruit count, packing date, and recommended storage conditions.
At TECHMIFOOD, we strictly comply with these international quality standards to ensure that every shipment of our dragon fruit is fresh, safe, and reliable for global export markets. We are committed to building long-term partnerships by delivering only premium-quality products.
📞 Contact us:
📱 Phone/WhatsApp/Viber: +84 936 136 098
📧 Email: export10@shcgroup.vn
