Size grading
The following table shows how pecan nuts are graded according to size. The way it is measured, is to count the amount of Pecans that goes into one kilogram.
Pecan Sizes
Premium pecan halves are commercially-sold by size, much like shrimp. The larger the pecan half, the fewer there are in a pound. Here are the categories:
Pecan Sizes (halves per pound)
• Mammoth = 200-250 halves
• Junior mammoth = 251-300 halves
• Jumbo = 301-350 halves
• Extra-large = 351-450 halves
• Large = 451-550 halves
• Medium = 551-650 halves
• Topper = 651-750 halves
• Small topper = 751 and up
Pecan Grades
Pecans come in the following grades:
• Fancy – Golden colour, no defects
• Choice – Darker than fancy, no defects
• Standard – Harvested green (fuzzy kernels), mottled colour, shrivelled ends, etc.
• Damaged – Broken or cracked kernels
Mammoth = 200-250 halves |
Junior mammoth = 251-300 halves |
Jumbo = 301-350 halves |
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Extra-large = 351-450 halves |
Large = 451-550 halves |
Medium = 551-650 halves |
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Topper = 651-750 halves |
Fancy |
Choice |
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| Extra Large | Large | Medium |
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| Small-Medium | Small | Midget |
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| Meal | ||
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If you need chopped nuts or pieces for a recipe, there is no need to spend the extra money to buy fancy or choice grades. Those nuts sold as chopped or pieces are just broken pieces of usually a mixture of fancy and choice grades. Standard grade is generally used for commercial applications.
| PRODUCT: | MAMMOTH HALVES*NOTE: THE PECANS SHALL BE SHELLED MAMMOTH HALVES AND SHALL MEET THE U.S. GRADE
STANDARDS FOR U.S. # 1 FANCY |
| CHEMICAL & PHYSICAL STANDARDS | |
| 1. FLAVOR | CLEAN FRESH PECAN FLAVOR |
| 2. ODOR | FREE OF RANCID, BITTER, STALE OR ANY OTHER OBJECTIONABLE ODOR |
| 3. TEXTURE | FIRM,CRUNCHY, BRITTLE TEXTURE |
| 4. SIZE/COUNT PER POUND | 201 TO 250 |
| 5. SHELL COUNT/FOREIGN MATERIAL | NO MORE THAN .02% BY WEIGHT |
| 6. COLOR : NUT MEAT | LIGHT AMBER TO AMBER |
| 7. % DAMAGE | NO MORE THAN .05 |
| 8.MOISTURE | 3.5%-4.5% |
| 9.FREE FATTY ACID | 1% MAX |
| 10.PEROXIDE VALUE | 5 MEQ/KG MAX |
| 11.AFLATOXIN B1+B2+G1+G2 | < 4 PPB |
| 12.AFLATOXIN B1 | < 2 PPB |
| MICROBIOLOGICAL | |
| 1.STANDARD PLATE COUNT | 10000/G |
| 2.COLIFORM | 100/G |
| 3.YEAST | <200/G |
| 4.MOLD | <200/G |
| 5.SALMONELLA | NEGATIVE |
| 6.E COLI | <3/G |
| 7.STAPHYLOCOCCUS | <10/G |
| SHIPPING & STORAGE CONDITIONS | |
| 30 POUNDS CORRUGATED, DOUBLE WALL AND MICHELMEN COATED CONTAINER. | |
| CODE: | |
| CASE DIMENSION : 15 3/8 X 11 1/4 X 10 | |
| PALLET CONFIGURATION 10 FLAT X 6 TIER | |
| FROZEN/OPTIMUM -32 F -38 F RECOMMENDED | |
| RELATIVE HUMIDITY -65% | |
| PRODUCT: PECAN PIECES | |||
| THE PECANS SHALL BE SHELLED FANCY PIECES AND SHALL MEET THE U.S. GRADE | |||
| STANDARDS FOR U.S. # 1 FANCY | |||
| CHEMICAL & PHYSICAL STANDARDS | |||
| 1. FLAVOR | CLEAN FRESH PECAN FLAVOR | ||
| 2. ODOR | FREE OF RANCID, BITTER, STALE OR ANY OTHER OBJECTIONABLE ODOR | ||
| 3. TEXTURE | FIRM,CRUNCHY, BRITTLE TEXTURE | ||
| 4. SIZE | THRU | OVER | |
| EXTRA LARGE | 9/16″ | 8/16″ | |
| LARGE | 8/16″ | 6/16″ | |
| MEDIUM | 5/16″ | 4/16″ | |
| SMALL | 4/16″ | 3/16″ | |
| MIDGET | 3/16″ | 2/16″ | |
| 5. SHELL COUNT/FOREIGN MATERIAL | NO MORE THAN .02% BY WEIGHT | ||
| 6. COLOR : NUT MEAT | LIGHT AMBER TO AMBER | ||
| 7. % DAMAGE | NO MORE THAN .05 | ||
| 8.MOISTURE | 3.0%-4.0% | ||
| 9.FREE FATTY ACID | 1% MAX | ||
| 10.PEROXIDE VALUE | 5 MEQ/KG MAX | ||
| 11.AFLATOXIN B1+B2+G1+G2 | < 4 PPB | ||
| 12.AFLATOXIN B1 | < 2 PPB | ||
| MICROBIOLOGICAL | |||
| 1.STANDARD PLATE COUNT | 10000/G | ||
| 2.COLIFORM | 100/G | ||
| 3.YEAST | <200/G | ||
| 4.MOLD | <200/G | ||
| 5.SALMONELLA | NEGATIVE | ||
| 6.E COLI | <3/G | ||
| 7.STAPHYLOCOCCUS | <10/G | ||
| SHIPPING & STORAGE CONDITIONS | |||
| 30 POUNDS CORRUGATED, DOUBLE WALL AND MICHELMEN COATED CONTAINER. | |||
| CODE: | |||
| CASE DIMENSION : 15 3/8 X 11 1/4 X 10 | |||
| PALLET CONFIGURATION 10 FLAT X 6 TIER | |||
| FROZEN/OPTIMUM -32 F -38 F RECOMMENDED | |||
| RELATIVE HUMIDITY -65 | |||
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