There are two classes of chick peas, Kabuli and Desi. The class forms part of the grade name.

Colour is a grade determinant only in the Kabuli class. Colour is assessed after the removal of damage chick peas and chick peas assessed as green. See Damaged and Green.

Representative portion for analysis

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

▲ 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 Chick Peas, Sample Condemned.

Damaged chick peas include

• Whole or broken chick peas that are sprouted, frost damaged, heated, damaged by insects, distinctly deteriorated or discoloured by weather or by disease, or that are otherwise damaged in a way that seriously affects their quality.

In Kabuli chick peas, white and shrivelled chick peas and yellow or water stained chick peas should be cut and examined for damage. If the cotyledons show

• Any signs of visible damage, they are considered damaged
• No signs of visible damage, they are considered in the evaluation of colour

Representative portion for analysis

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

See Foreign material.

See Foreign material.

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

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 Chick Peas, 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 seeds have been charred or scorched by fire. No fireburnt seeds are allowed in chick peas.

Procedure

Samples considered fireburnt are graded Chick Peas, Sample CW (class) Account Fireburnt.

Foreign material includes

• Other classes of chick peas
• Other grains and seeds
• Ergot and sclerotinia
• Mineral matter, stones and earth pellets
• Any other material not removed by Normal cleaning procedures

Representative portion for analysis

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

Chick peas may be considered green regardless of the cause.

Frost-damaged chick peas which are green are considered under the grade determinant for Green.

Frost-damaged chick peas with no green colour are considered under the grade determinant for Damage.

Kabuli chick peas are considered green if they show any green colour of any size area anywhere on the seeds or seed coats.

Desi chick peas are considered green if they show distinctly green colour throughout the seed when cut to expose the cotyledons.

Representative portion for analysis

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

Chick peas that have dull seed coats and discoloured cotyledons ranging from light tan to dark brown are considered heated. See Damage.

See Damage.

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

In chick peas, mechanical damage including splits includes

• Whole chick peas with more than 10% of the chick pea broken off
• Split chick peas

▲ Important: Seeds with hairline cracks and chipped seed coats are not considered mechanical damage.

Representative portion for analysis

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

Procedures

Chick peas with mechanical damage are hand-picked.

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—workin sampleg     Export—working sample

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. See Foreign material

See Foreign material.

See Foreign material.

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 Chick Peas, 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.