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The word Sultana is interchangeable with the word Raisin in many countries. In Iran and Turkey not only are the terms often interchangeable, they are also sometimes used together to describe the same product (Sultana-Raisins).

The temperate zone for commercial Sultana/Raisins vine fruit production stretches from Greece through into Turkey and follows on through northern Iran and on into Afghanistan. Each year the acreage under vine fruit production in Turkey is increasing, resulting in some very large crops and subsequent historically low prices. The main growing regions for Turkish Sultanas are around Izmir, Manisa and Denizli.

Iran has many geographical pockets of various types of production from Tabriz in the west through to Mashhad in the Far East of northern Iran. Each region has slightly varying varieties i.e. Malayer, Gouchan, Maragheh and etc.

Processing
After receipt of goods at the factory door, the fruit is either stored in bulk storage areas or in plastic cartons. After initial breaking of the fruit the raw material goes first through a fruit washer where the majority of stones and other foreign matter is removed. Stones are removed by the cyclones and weirs of the fruit washing machinery.

After washing, the berries go through a series of grading conveyors where the large berries and small midget fruit are out graded. Air aspirators positioned over shaking conveyors take out stalks, whilst cap-stemming machines remove the smaller stem that attaches the berry to the main stalk of the branch.

Oiling is usually the last or next to last process, with laser sorting an option in the large to medium size Turkish factories.

The quality of the finished product is determined by many factors not least the standard of the raw material. The speed at which the line is run has a marked effect on quality. If laser scanned, the settings of the laser are another key factor. The increasing use of laser scanners in Turkey has led to a general dumbing down of standards. Buyers preference for laser scanned material has led to sellers championing laser scanning as a complete substitution for static table picking. In fact, laser scanned fruit can be relatively dirty if the speed of the line and the settings of the laser are set for maximum production with minimum waste.

In both Iran and Turkey, fruit that is to be bleached is placed in chambers usually at the cleaning plant. So2 powder is placed into metal trays and ignited. The smoke from the sulphur permeates the fruit resulting in a light bleaching effect. The flavor is slightly effected (some say enhanced) as is the aroma.

Description	Golden Raisin	Sultana Raisin
Number of Berries Per 100 Grams - Max	320	340
Moisture - Max	16 – 19 P/C	16 – 19 P/C
SO2 (When Requested) - Max	2000 PPM	2000 PPM
Foreign Matters Such As (Sand, Hair&...)	Target Nil (Max 1 Per Ton)	Target Nil (Max 3 Per Ton)
Cap stem - Max	2 – 4 P/C	2 – 4 P/C
Undeveloped Berries - Max	2 P/C	2 P/C
Moldy - Max	1 P/C	1 P/C
Damaged - Max	2 P/C	2 P/C
Sugared - Max	10 P/C Shipments Before May & 20 P/C Afterwards	5 P/C Shipments Before May & 10 P/C Afterwards
Pieces Of Stem Less Than 1.5 CM - Max	3 Per Cartoon	3 Per Cartoon
Live Infestation	NIL	NIL
Metal	NIL	NIL
Packing	10 Kg Net, Telescopic Carton.	10 Kg Net, Telescopic Carton.
Ingredients	Sultana Raisin - Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil	Sultana Raisin - Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Washing	Double Washed	Double Washed
Sorting	Triple Hand Picked	Triple Hand Picked
Grading	Size Graded	Size Graded
Allergens	Contains NO Allergens	Contains NO Allergens
Shelf Life	18 Months From Harvesting Time Starting October Of Each Year	18 Months From Harvesting Time Starting October Of Each Year
Storage Conditions	Cool, Dry, & Clean Place	Cool, Dry, & Clean Place
Appearance	Golden (Light Amber)	Light Brown
Kosher Certificate	Available Upon Request	Available Upon Request

FOOD ENERGY CALORIES	PROTEIN MG.	FAT MG.	FIBER MG.	ASH MG.	CALCIUM MG.	IRON MG.
318	2.5	0.2	0.9	1.9	62	3.5
SODIUM MG.	POTASSIUM MG.	PHOSPHATES MG.	THIAMIN MG.	RIBOFLAVIN MG.	NIACIN MG.	ASCORBIC ACID MG.
27	763	101	0.11	0.08	0.5	1