Citrus Packhouses 6: Sorting and Grading

Please note: The Citrus Packhouses audiovisual series replaces the Citrus Packing audiovisual series. Learner guide material can be found on the Citrus Resource Warehouse here: https://bit.ly/3vtaMDR

Fruit is marketed and exported from South Africa in two formats. By far the largest volume
of fruit is exported in cartons and is meant for fresh consumption. The second format is
when processing fruit is exported in bulk bins to overseas juice factories.

The terms sorting and grading are sometimes used interchangeably, but in packhouses they
are generally used for two distinct actions. Sorting is the action of separating out fruit that is not fit for export, and directing this fruit to the local market line, processing fruit bins, or waste fruit bins. This is done by hand. Grading is the action of separating fruit that has passed through sorting into different grades, or classes.