Commodity research is a science that studies the assortment, consumer properties and quality of goods of various groups depending on the stages of the life cycle. One of the main factors in the formation of product quality is the raw materials used. Using low-quality components, it is impossible to get a quality product.
Definition
There is no clear definition of the concept of “commodity characteristics” to date. Usually they invest in it to consider issues such as the chemical composition and nutritional value of certain products, their classification and assortment, the factors that shape and preserve the quality of specific products, the conditions and methods for identifying and detecting falsification of products, issues of product quality requirements.
Range
An assortment is a complex of species, varieties, varieties, categories, items of goods that are combined or can be combined into one group. Let us dwell on this concept. One of the main indicators characterizing the merchandising characteristics of the assortment are indicators, which include the coefficients of completeness, latitude, depth, novelty, rationality. Its formation depends on customer demand. The range of raw materials may include the presence of natural ingredients, which will subsequently be part of the product, as well as artificial and synthetic.
Examination of goods
Commodity characteristics include the examination of goods, which is understood as the evaluation of goods, its consumer properties and quality, as well as defects. As a rule, it is produced according to the methods of national standards, or according to methods that give comparable results with GOST-certified methods.
Any expert should know the product characteristics for the product. On the basis of this knowledge and research, defects in the goods are revealed, what effect these defects will have on the goods, the reasons for the appearance of such defects, the degree of readiness of the goods for consumption or operation are studied.
Based on the merchandising characteristics of raw materials, conclusions can be made about the possibility of its use in a particular product. Organoleptic and physico-chemical quality indicators are described with merchandising characteristics. Examination of certain methods allows you to install them.
Below are examples of merchandising characteristics of goods and raw materials that can be used to create new goods.
Nutritional value and chemical composition of vegetables
Fresh vegetables contain up to 98% water (cucumbers) and from 2 to 20% solids. The largest mass fraction in the latter accounts for carbohydrates (up to 20%). In addition, vegetables contain a large amount of cellulose, which improves intestinal motility, but a large amount of which negatively affects the absorption of food, mineral elements and vitamins. When merchandising characteristics of individual vegetables provide a more detailed description.
Classification and assortment of vegetables
Vegetables are divided into fresh and processed. Let us briefly consider the classification and assortment of fresh products as an object of commodity characteristics of raw materials.
According to the organs eaten, fresh vegetables are classified into vegetative:
- tubers - potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke;
- root crops - radishes, parsnips, carrots, parsley, radish, celery, beets, turnips;
- leaf - cabbage, onion, salad, spicy, rhubarb, sorrel;
- stem - kohlrabi, asparagus.
Generative:
- tomato - eggplant, peppers, tomatoes;
- floral - artichoke, cauliflower;
- pumpkin - squash, watermelon, melon, squash, pumpkin;
- legumes - beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils.
According to the time of the vegetation period, they are divided into early, middle and late ripening.
Vegetables are also classified, depending on whether they grow in natural or semi-artificial conditions, on ground and greenhouse.
Each species is divided into botanical and commercial varieties.
Factors that form and maintain the quality of vegetables
The main characteristics that shape the quality of any product are raw materials and technology. In the first case, the criterion may be a certain product in a certain chain. So, for vegetables, raw materials can be seeds or seedlings. The quality of the future crop depends on the germination rate of the planting material, the variety, the growth rate of the seedlings, how infected they are with diseases.
The technology for vegetables provides mainly agricultural technology: how many fertilizers, pesticides were applied, how much irrigated vegetables were grown. All this affects the accumulation of nitrates, pesticides, toxic elements that determine safety - the main indicator of the quality of any goods.
Factors that maintain quality include packaging, labeling, transportation, and storage. All these indicators are determined by specific national standards for certain types of vegetables intended for specific purposes. In general, such products are stored at a low positive temperature and relative humidity in the range of 75-80%.
Identification and quality of vegetables
The main type of identification of vegetables is assortment identification. Indeed, in terms of appearance and color, it is easy to determine which vegetable is in front of us. With qualitative identification, the quality of the sample is established, the results of which apply to the entire batch. Vegetables should have typical shape, color, color, taste, smell. The surface should be clean, dry, without mechanical damage and without those from various pests.
In addition, the size can be determined by the largest transverse diameter, the percentage of rotted, damaged by vegetable diseases, etc. A specific list of indicators is set for each product intended for specific purposes, defined by the national standard.
Thus, the above is a brief commodity characterization of vegetables. There is a lot of information in this section. There are special textbooks on commodity research of fruits and vegetables, where it is given in more detail.
Consider another example of merchandising characteristics. We take meat as an object. Commodity characteristics of this product are assumed in the same main sections as in vegetables.
Nutritional value and chemical composition of meat
The meat contains a large amount of protein: from 11% in pork to 20% in beef, the bulk of which is complete, that is, containing the entire set of essential amino acids in ratios that are characterized by approximate equality to optimal. Other indicators are taken into account. The mass fraction of fat in various types of meat and depending on its fatness can be from 1-2% in veal, up to 49% in fatty pork, which is determined by sex, age, received by the diet and breed.
The basis of such a product is muscle tissue, in which high-grade proteins are mainly concentrated. The quality of meat will be the higher, the less in the muscles of connective tissue. Its main part is concentrated in front of the carcass. In recent years, marbled meat has become in demand, which means a product with inclusions of thin fatty layers in the muscle tissue, which has good taste, but is not recommended for obese people.
Classification and assortment of meat
By type and age of animals distinguish beef, veal, lamb, pork and piglets, goat meat, as well as other types of meat.
According to the thermal state, the product is classified as chilled, frozen, cooled.
According to his fatness, it is divided into:
- pork - fatty, edged, meat and bacon;
- beef;
- lamb;
- goat meat.
Culinary use, technological scheme of the machining process and the amount of waste are determined by the properties of the raw materials. Frozen meat must be thawed beforehand. The number of bones after cutting the beef carcasses of category 1 should be 26.4%, category 2 - 29.5%, etc.
Factors shaping and maintaining the quality of meat
The first group of factors includes species, age, breed, feeding ration, state of health, aging before slaughter, ripening after slaughter, autolysis, post mortem mortis, mold, putrefactive decomposition, hydrolysis, fat oxidation, and changes in organoleptic characteristics.
The main technological processes that affect the quality of meat are roasting, cooking, salting, grinding, drying, smoking and others, resulting in a product that can be consumed ready-made.
The second group of factors includes conditions of transportation (chilled meat - in suspension, frozen - in bulk), packaging, labeling and storage: meat is stored at low negative temperatures up to -18 ° C in the freezer compartment, and chilled - at low positive temperatures, approximately 1-4 about C.
Meat identification and quality
For meat, in addition to assortment identification, when it is possible to determine the type of meat, for many consumers, information identification is relevant, when you can draw the necessary information from the memo on the package, as well as high-quality identification.
From quality indicators, meat determines taste, color, aroma, appearance, surface condition, transparency of juice in the section. Using the chemical method, they can determine the mass fraction of protein, fat, the presence of nitrates, and other indicators. Basically, they determine those indicators that are standardized on specific types of product by certain national standards.
As part of this article, a very brief merchandising characterization of meat is given.
Finally
Thus, the merchandising characteristic allows you to get a complete picture of the raw material or the finished product. Having studied it, you can find out which commodity units can be purchased, due to which this or that quality was obtained, find out how much the body will be enriched with certain substances, what harm can be done to it, how to keep the quality of raw materials unchanged, etc.