What Are the Most Common Quality Related Issues?

Quality-related issues: Suppliers are keen to meet each buyer's quality requirements, which can be broken down into two main factors: Size and Sugar level.

1. Coloring: Color represents the main challenge for Egyptian farmers due to high temperatures and low dew in the morning, especially in the second part of the season, and does not reach 100%. Quality control, selection, and special care must be made in packaging and processing. Grapes are usually never picked up from farms until they reach the right color. On the other hand, some markets require class 2, which has 70% coloring. 
   
2. Sugar: Sugar levels are also tested carefully before picking up the grapes to ensure they meet the buyers' requirements. In most cases, suppliers take good care of controlling the sugar level, so the buyer's reclamation is minimal.
3. Size : Most buyers require size for the grape to be a minimum of 17 or 18 mm, except for the Red globe, which is a wider variety, and the minimum required size is 21 mm.

Brix level: White, Red, Black grapes - all different in sizes and Brix level. Generally, the lowest Brix level found in Egyptian grapes is a minimum of 14 mm for all the varieties. Still, the Brix level usually is not a significant issue in the quality of Egyptian grapes. 

Other quality issues include loose berries, which are handled in the packhouse through a selection process. Size remains the main problem, specifically for buyers requesting big sizes, which in dry seasons represent a significant obstacle.

Documentation

Depending on the market, buyers require specific documentation. Global Gap is required in the EU, as are other retail standards like BRC, SEDEX, and GRASP. MRL test is not required, but suppliers provide it with every shipment. A phytosanitary certificate is obligatory.