Fababeans are blackened when their seed coats are very dark blue to black. See Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

Colour is evaluated on the cleaned sample after the removal of damaged and split fababeans.

▲ Important: Wear gloves and a mask to handle any sample that is suspected of containing contaminated grain.

Contaminated is defined in the “Canada Grain Act” as; “Contaminated means, in respect of grain, containing any substance in sufficient quantity that the grain is unfit for consumption by persons or animals or is adulterated within the meaning of the regulations made pursuant to sections B.01.046(1), B.15.001 and B.15.002(1) of the Food and Drugs Act.”

Samples deemed to be contaminated by the Grain Research Laboratory in consultation with the Chief Grain Inspector for Canada are graded Fababeans, Sample Condemned.

Fababeans with a discoloured exposed cotyledon are considered cracked. See Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

Fababeans with cracked seed coats are considered sound if the halves of the kernels are held firmly together and the beans are not otherwise damaged.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

• Damage includes
• Blackened or cracked
• Sprouting
• Distinct immaturity
• Distinct deterioration or discolouration by weather or disease
• Insect damage
• Heat or mould damage
• Any other damage that seriously affects appearance or quality

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

Fababeans are considered discoloured if the discolouration on the seed coat covers more than half the bean or when the discolouration penetrates the cotyledon. See Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

Procedures

If the penetration of the discolouration is not obvious, cut the cotyledon crosswise in the discoloured area to determine the extent of the discolouration.

• Hard earth pellets are pellets that do not crumble under light pressure. See Stones.
• Soft earth pellets are pellets that crumble under light pressure. See Soft earth pellets.

Ergot is a plant disease producing elongated fungus bodies with a purplish-black exterior, a purplish-white to off white interior, and a relatively smooth surface texture.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—500 g     Optimum—1000 g     Export—1000 g

▲  Important: Wear gloves and a mask to handle any samples that you suspect may contain excreta.
There is no tolerance for excreta in fababeans.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Fertilizer pellets are typically either small, round and white or irregular shaped and pink or red. Fertilizer pellets are not considered a hazardous substance however there is no visible means of assuring that material resembling fertilizer pellets is not some other contaminant.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Procedures

• Handpick any fertilizer pellets and determine the concentration basis the net working sample.
• Fertilizer pellets are assessed as stones when the concentration does not exceed 1.0% of the net sample weight.
• Samples containing fertilizer pellets in excess of 1.0% of the net sample weight are graded Fababeans, Held IP Suspect Contaminated Grain.

Note: Canadian Grain Commission personnel should refer to ISO national work instruction “Suspect Contaminated Grain, Handling Procedures” for procedures to be followed when handling samples containing fertilizer pellets.

Fireburnt fababeans are beans charred or scorched by fire. A cross-section of a fireburnt bean resembles charcoal with numerous air holes. The air holes result in a low weight bean which crumbles easily under pressure.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—500 g     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Procedures

Samples containing any fireburnt seeds are graded Fababeans, Sample Canada Account Fireburnt.

Foreign material is any material other than whole or split fababeans.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—500 g     Export—500 g

Fababeans that are distinctly green from immaturity are considered damaged. See Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

Fababeans are consideredheated or rotted if they are materially discoloured as a result of heating or rotting. Seed coats appear dark brown to black. The cotyledon tissue of dissected beans appears tan or brown. See Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—500 g

Insect parts refers to pieces of insects such as grasshoppers and lady bugs that remain in the sample after cleaning or processing. Samples are analyzed for the percentage of insect fragments and graded according to established tolerances.

If pulse crops come into contact with insects during the harvesting process, it may result in seed staining and earth adhering to the seed and may result in samples having an objectionable odour.  Samples containing staining of this nature will be considered to be earth tagged and graded according to colour definitions. Samples having a distinct objectionable odour not associated with the quality of the grain will be graded Type of Grain Sample Account Odour.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Fababeans are considered mouldy if they show clear evidence of mildew or mould.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—500 g

There is no numeric tolerance for odour. Consider

• The basic quality of the sample
• The type and degree of the odour
• The presence of visible residue causing the odour

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Fababeans are considered perforated if they show clear evidence of hull perforations caused by insects or disease.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

White rime is the adhered lining of the seed pod.

• Fababeans that are completely and densely covered with white rime are considered damaged. See Damage.
• When the rime is sparse enough to expose the soundness of the bean, the bean is sound and the rime is considered in the general appearance of the sample.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

See Heated.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungus producing hard masses of fungal tissue, called sclerotia. The sclerotia vary in size and shape, have a course surface texture, vary in exterior color from dark black to gray to white and have a pure white interior.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—250 g     Optimum—1000 g     Export—1000 g

Soft earth pellets are pellets that crumble under light pressure—if they do not crumble, they are onsidered stones. These pellets can be

• Earth and fertilizer pellets
• Any non-toxic material of similar consistency

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—500 g     Export—500 g

Procedures

• Earth pellets may be removed as dockage. See Normal cleaning procedures.
• If soft earth pellets are over 10.0% of the gross weight of the sample, they become a grading factor, included in the tolerance for Foreign Material.

1. Return the pellets to the sample.
2. Handpick soft earth pellets from a representative portion of the cleaned sample.
3. If soft earth pellets are the grade determinant, grade the sample Fababeans, Sample Canada Account Admixture.

Splits include

• Halves or smaller pieces of fababeans
• Halves that are loosely held together by cracked seed coats
• Fababeans with cracked cotyledons, such as from artificial drying

Splits do not include fababeans that are otherwise damaged.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—500 g

Fababeans in which the hull is parted over the area of the germ as a result of sprouting are considered damaged. See Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—100 g     Optimum—250 g     Export—250 g

Stones are hard shale, coal, hard earth pellets, and any other non toxic materials of similar consistency. Fertilizer pellets ar assessed as stones when constituting 1.0% or less of the net sample weight. (See Fertilizer pellets for specific procedures to be followed when samples contain fertilizer pellets.)

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—250 g     Optimum—500 g     Export—1000 g

Procedures

1. Handpick stones from a representative portion of the cleaned sample.
2. Determine stone concentration in the net sample.

• In western Canada samples of grain containing stones in excess of “basic grade” tolerances, up to 2.5% are graded Fababeans, Rejected “basic grade” Account Stones. The “basic grade” refers to a grade established in the Canada Grain Regulations (grades listed in the first column in grade determinant tables) that would have been assigned to the sample if it contained no stones.
• In eastern Canada samples of grain containing stones in excess of grade tolerances are degraded to lower grades. Samples containing stones in excess of the tolerance of the lowest grade established by regulation up to 2.5% are graded Fababeans, Sample Canada Account Stones.
• In western and eastern Canada grain containing more than 2.5% stones is graded Fababeans, Sample Salvage.

Examples: Western Canada

Excerpt from grade determinant tables for Fababeans, Canada

Basic grade:....................... Fababeans, No. 2 Canada

Reason for basic grade:...... 2.0% Damage

Examples: Eastern Canada

Excerpt from grade determinant tables for Fababeans, Canada

Basic grade:....................... Fababeans, No. 2 Canada

Reason for basic grade:...... 2.0% Damage

Treated seed

Treated seed is grain that has been coated with an agricultural chemical for agronomic purposes. These seed dressings contain a dye to render the treated seed visually conspicuous. The colour of the dye varies depending upon the type of treatment and the type of grain. The current Canadian colour standards for pesticide seed treatments are: cereals–pink or red, canola–baby blue or green. Seed treated with an inoculant may have a green stain. The coatings or stains may appear greasy or powdery and surface area distribution ranges from tiny flecks to complete coverage.

Other chemical substances

Other chemical substances refers to any chemical residues either adhering to the kernel or remaining in the sample and to samples having a chemical odour of any kind.

▲ Important: Wear gloves and a mask to handle any samples that you suspect may contain contaminated grain.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

If a sample is suspected of being coated with a pesticide, desiccant, inoculant or if the sample contains evidence of any foreign chemical substance other than fertilizer pellets, the sample shall be graded Fababeans, Held IP Suspect Contaminated Grain.

Note: Canadian Grain Commission personnel should refer to ISO national work instruction “Suspect Contaminated Grain, Handling Procedures” for specific procedures to be followed when handling samples suspected of containing treated seed or other chemical substances.

Fababeans are graded without reference to variety.